Caramel and Cream
by TheHornyVirgin
Summary: A story in which James and Carlos discover their true feelings for one another. SLASH! Dedicated to Mochi no Yume for her icredibly AMAZING reviews and awsome support! PLEASE R&R!
1. Feelings Revealed

Hi, everyone! Really hope you like it and I promise to do my very best when writing this! And, before I start writing this, I would like to give full credit to EpitheticalBabylon for giving me inspiration for the title of this story. The title is hers; I just borrowed it. Thank you! :D **PLEASE R&R!**

**Chapter 1: Feelings Revealed**

It was a regular day at the Palm Woods school. For everyone, that is, except for James Diamond. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to focus on his History lesson(which he usually ignored anyway, but that's not the point). His eyes were constantly drifting from his open text book over to his best friend Carlos sitting right next to him. Carlos didn't notice his staring at him; he was focused on his work. For, like, the tenth time, James' eyes wandered from the front of the classroom to Carlos. He just gazed at him. God, he was so beautiful!

Lately, James had been having some new and confusing feelings for his best friend. Feelings of love. He thought he was in love with Carlos. But, that was impossible, he couldn't be...gay, could he? He'd been chasing girls with his friends ever since they'd been in LA for nearly three months. Why was he having these feelings for his male best friend? And the more pressing question was: did Carlos feel the same about him?

James was suddenly broken out of his thoughts when the loud bell rang, signaling the end of their class. Luckily, History was their last class of the day. Almost the second the bell rang, the whole class was up and gathering up their books and notepads and pens, scrambling for the door. James stood slowly, waiting for the full classroom to empty so he wouldn't be caught in the frenzy of students. Evidently, Carlos did the same and James glance over and saw him leisurly packing his backpack. James was just mesmerized; he didn't know he could ever see anyone so beautiful. Matters weren't helped much when Carlos stood up and bent over to pick up his backpack. James' eyes widened when he saw Carlos bend over, his jeans stretching across his voluptuous Latino hips. James felt his own jeans tighten and he held his backpack in from of him and bolted from the classroom, hoping no one was watching.

It was about ten minutes later that Mrs. Knight arrived to take them home. The five of them piled into the SUV, Katie riding in the front as usual.

"So, how was your day?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"The usual." Katie said, "I signed up for the spelling bee."

"Oh, that's wonderful, honey!" Mrs. Knight said happily.

They pulled out of the crowded parking lot and drove down the road. Instead of heading back to their apartment, they drove in opposite direction, heading to a small, residential area with older homes. Most of which were older townhouses converted into duplexes. The Palm Woods building was experiencing major plumbing problems and several apartments, including theirs, had been flooded. They had been informed that it would take the better part of two or three months to fix the problem. Luckily, the recording studio paid for them to rent the lower level of one of these roomy duplexes a few miles away.

They pulled into the driveway and everyone got out of the car, walking up the steps to the white front door. Mrs. Knight unlocked it and they all walked in, taking off their shoes and piling them by the door as always. The boys walked into the living room and dropped their text book-laden backpacks on the love seat by the window. They all sat on the couch and turned on TV, Kendall flipping through the channels.

"Anyone want a snack?" Mrs. Knight called from the kitchen.

"I do!" the boys called back simultaneously.

"Me, too." Katie said, sitting at the kitchen table, getting her drawing pad out.

Within five minutes, they were all sitting around the table, enjoying a plate of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. And, as always, James and Carlos engaged each other in a battle with their T-Rex and long-neck, much to the enjoyment of Kendall and Logan. After their snack, they all sat in the living room and enjoyed a movie.

* * *

It was about ten o'clock at night and everyone was in their rooms and the 'apartment' was quiet. James sat in one of the two bean-bag chairs at the foot of the four-poster bed he and Carlos shared. When they moved into the apartment duplex about a week ago, they found that the rooms the boys would sleep in had only one queen-sized bed in each one. But they didn't mind sharing a bed for the time being.

James was engaged in playing his favorite hockey video game. Carlos reclined comfortably on the bed, reading a hockey magazine. Carlos didn't know how long he'd sat there when he heard a slight thud as James dropped his controller to the floor and frustratedly stood and walked out onto the balcony. Looking at the paused game on the TV screen, he saw that James had only scored 30 points. He had been playing that game for well over an hour, and usually, he scored 300 points or more in that amount of time.

"Something wrong?" Carlos asked.

"I don't know." James, who was sitting on one of the two lounge chairs, said.

"Wanna talk about it?" Carlos asked, closing his magazine.

"Come here." James said, patting a spot on the lounge chair beside him.

Carlos lay his magazine aside ans stood and walked over and seated himself next to his friend.

"What's bothering you?" he asked.

"Well..." James started, but his words seemed to die before they could form.

There was a short silence.

"I don't know if I can tell you...but can I show you?" James asked.

"Sure. I guess so." Carlos said.

James scooted closer to him and slowly reached up, placing a gentle caress to Carlos' cheek. Before Carlos could say anything, James softly pressed his lips to his. The kiss was so unexpected; Carlos gasped softly. James' lips lingered for a few seconds and he was about to deepen the kiss when Carlos pulled away suddenly.

"I-I can't." he stammered, standing.

"Carlos." James said in an almost pleading voice.

"I can't." Carlos repeated, walking off across the room.

"Carlos, please." James said.

He watched as Carlos opened the door and disappeared into the living room.

"Carlos." James whispered, on the verge of tears.

James sat there for what seemed like forever, but it was only a few minutes. He was in shock. His best friend, whom he'd known all his life, had just walked out on him. What if he'd lost him? What if Carlos didn't want anything else to do with him? If Carlos didn't want to be around him anymore, that would just kill James. Carlos meant more to him than anything. What if he lost him?

**A/N: **I know, short first chappy, but I promise the next one will be longer! I promise I will update soon! **PLEASE R&R!**


	2. Feelings Consummated

Heeeeeeere's the next chappy! Read, review, and enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Feelings Consummated**

That morning, when James woke up, the memory of last night came flooding back; the memory of Carlos' rejection ever present in his mind. The bed felt empty and lonely. He was used to waking up with Carlos by his side, to feel his warmth and to gaze upon his beautiful face. They had just been here in the townhouse for a little over a week, but he'd grown used to it. And even when they were living in their apartment, they still shared a room, but were in separate beds. Now, it was just empty. Even if Carlos hadn't known James' feelings for him, it was still a treasure to wake up next to him. Sometimes, James would wake up before Carlos and he would just sit there and gaze at him, taking in every gorgeous detail of him. Sometimes, he would even venture so far as to reach out and stroke his hair.

James turned over and his eyes fell upon the empty space beside him. With a tender hand, he reached over and ran his hand over the soft fabric of Carlos' pillow. He felt his eyes start to burn with tears and his heart ached. He loved Carlos more than anything in the world and he could never have him as his own. Why did Carlos walk away? Why would he have hurt him like this? These and many other questions filled James' mind as he leaned over and pressed his face into the softness of Carlos' pillow. He inhaled deeply, the smell of Carlos' hair still lingering there. The smell was so familiar, yet so distant. The smell was of fresh spring rain and a slight hint of strawberries. Would he ever smell this again?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Yeah?" James said.

"You decent?" a voice asked.

It was Kendall.

"Yeah, come in." James said, sitting up and brushing the forming tears from his eyes.

The door opened and Kendall stepped in.

"Mom said it was time to get up; breakfast will be ready soon." he said.

"O-okay. I'll be out in a minute." James said.

"You okay?" Kendall asked, noticing James' eyes were a little red, "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep." James said, "I'm good."

"Okay." Kendall said, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

James sighed and dragged himself out of bed. He walked into the bathroom and quickly relieved himself and gave his hair a quick fixing with his lucky comb. He then slipped on a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a t-shirt. He exited his room and walked into the kitchen where everyone else was. The room was filled with the wonderful smell of bacon and eggs cooking. But James hardly noticed; he hardly noticed anything now that the love of his life had rejected him. And he was sitting right there at the table. James sat down opposite Carlos, keeping his eyes trained on the table, not having eye-contact with him.

"Here you go, boys." Mrs. Knight said, setting their plates on the table.

"Ah-hem." Katie said.

"And girl." Mrs. Knight added.

"Thank you." Katie said, satisfied.

They sat and enjoyed their breakfast in silence. James just kept his eyes on his plate, still not looking at Carlos. Carlos seemed to be doing the same. After breakfast, Mrs. Knight drove them to school and dropped them off before driving off to run some errands.

/

The only sounds that filled the classroom were the incessant words of the teacher and the soft scratching of pens on paper as the students took notes. Again, James couldn't seem to focus on his work; his eyes were constantly drifting over to Carlos, who was seated next to him. Carlos hadn't said a word to him all day and hadn't passed him a single note; usually, the two of them passed notes back and forth all day. James tore a scrap of paper from his notebook and scribbled a note:

_'Please talk to me.' _

He made sure the teacher wasn't looking before he passed the note to Carlos. He watched as Carlos unfolded the note and read it. But instead of scribbling an answer, Carlos simply re-folded the note and slipped it into the back of his notebook. Seeing this, James' heart dropped. Was Carlos never going to speak to him again?

After fifteen more minutes, the bell rang, signalling the end of the class. Again, everyone scrambled to the door. James stepped into the crowded hallway and scanned the mass of faces, searching for his friend. He finally spotted him over by his locker. James quickly made his way through the sea of people over to him.

"Hey. You um...didn't answer my note in language class." James said.

"I know." Carlos simply said, not looking up from sorting through his locker.

"What about last night? Why did you just walk away?" James asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Carlos said.

"Carlos, please." James pleaded.

"I don't want to talk about it." Carlos repeated, closing his locker rather loudly.

This shocked James; this was so not like Carlos. Why wouldn't he just give him an explanation? The rest of the school day was just the same. James and Carlos had almost every class together and Carlos passed him no notes and said nothing to him. By their last class, James felt like he was about to cry. He hardly ever cried; it took alot to make him cry. Why was Carlos doing this to him?

* * *

The only sounds that filled the room were the constant beeps and trills resinating from James' Game Boy. He had been sitting here in his bean-bag chair for a good hour playing his Game Boy, trying to keep his mind off Carlos, but it seemed impossible. He;d just reached a new level on his Super Mario game when the door to the living room opened ad Carlos stepped in, closing the door behind him. Without saying a word, Carlos crossed the room in long stride and fell on his knees, straddling James on the bean-bag chair. James was about to say something. but his words left him when Carlos cupped his face gently in his hands and pressed their lips together. James' body froze, stunned by the suddenness of the kiss. He felt Carlos' lips move, pressing against his, and he felt Carlos' tongue pressing at them. Just as soon as the kiss started, it stopped, leaving James stunned and gasping softly.

"Carlos, what-" James started, but Carlos cut him off.

"I love you." Carlos gasped, kissing James again.

James pulled him away, looking him in the eyes.

"If you love me, why did you ignore me all day? Why did you walk away form me last night?" he asked.

"I've always had feelings for you, but when you kissed me...I guess...you just caught me off-guard or something." Carlos explained, "James, I love you so much. I want to b with you and hold you and be yours. If you'll still have me."

Was this happening? Was this real?

"Oh, Carlos...of course I'll still have you." James said, "You're everything I ever wanted."

A smile spread across Carlos' face and he ran his hands over James' firm chest, feeling his muscles through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

"Carlos, you have the most beautiful smile I've ever seen." James said, placing his hand to Carlos' cheek, lightly stroking it with his thumb.

Carlos cast his eyes down, his smile widening and his cheeks tinting lightly with pink.

"Carlos," James whispered, "Kiss me."

Carlos looked up and gazed deeply into James' eyes. What he saw in those beautiful, swirling pools of amber was utter and complete trust and unspeakable love. Carlos leaned forward and lightly brushed their lips together. James' eyes fluttered and he felt Carlos' warm breath tickle the very fine hairs on his upper lip.

"James..." Carlos whispered as their lips connected.

The kiss was just a whisper at first, but it grew stronger and more passionate as they embraced one another. They both moaned and their bodies pressed together. Carlos' eyes fluttered shut and he ran his fingers through James' silky, soft hair. He felt James' tongue tease at his lips, begging for access to his mouth. Access was granted and they moaned as James' tongue slid past Carlos' parted lips. James couldn't believe how incredibly soft Carlos' lips were and how delightfully warm his mouth was. It was just how he had imagined.

After what seemed like forever, they had part, their lungs screaming or air. They pulled away, gasping softly and leaning their foreheads together. Once they regained their breath, their lips connected again and this time, James' hands wandered slowly down Carlos' back to the hem of his long-sleeved t-shirt. He toyed with the hem a bit before pulling it up a little. Carlos gasped softly as the cooler air came into contact with his caramel-colored skin. The cool air made him tense slightly, but James gently massaged his fingers across the warm flesh of Carlos' lower back, relaxing him.

Carlos moaned softly and kissed back with passion. He never knew so much pleasure could come from just kissing. Feeling James' fingers lightly flitting over his skin sent a pleasurable shiver up his spine.

"Lift it higher." Carlos moaned into the kiss.

James smiled and slowly lifted Carlos' shirt higher until they had to part so it could be lifted over his head and dropped to the floor. They just sat there for a moment, gazing at each other. Sure, James had seen Carlos with his shirt off before, but it was never like this. Not ever like this. God, he was so beautiful! He was about to pull him in for another kiss when Carlos placed his hands on his chest and stopped him.

"What?" James asked.

"Wait a sec." Carlos whispered.

He pushed himself back and stood, taking a few steps back. James watched as Carlos proceeded to ever-so-slowly slide his jeans down his slender legs. The jeans pooled around his ankles and he kicked them aside. Now he was wearing only a pair of close-fitting, blue boxerbriefs.

"Want me to take them off?" Carlos asked, giving James a seductive look.

James was speechless and his throat felt dry. Unable to find his voice, he simply nodded. He'd never seen Carlos naked before. Carlos smiled and tantalizingly-slowly slid his boxerbriefs down his slender legs and kicked them aside when they were around his ankles. He stood there, letting James' eyes wander over him.

James gulped and his eyes widened. Carlos was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. His smaller body was adorned by slightly-pronounce muscles that complimented his body like butter compliments bread. With every breath he took, James saw his muscles ripple slight underneath his caramel skin. But his face was that of an angel. He had soft, almost feminine features and his eyes were the most gorgeous shade of brown.

"You are absolutely beautiful." James whispered.

Carlos smiled and stepped forward, straddling James' lap again. He leaned in so he could whisper in James' ear.

"Put your hands on me." he whispered seductively.

James was frozen for a second, not knowing what to do. Carlos gave him a reassuring nod and he took his hands and placed them on either side of his narrow hips. Carlos leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to James' lips. James moved his hands around to gently knead his soft hips. This caused Carlos to gasp and he kissed James passionately. Carlos trailed light kisses around to James' ear.

"Make me hard." he whispered.

James gulped on a moan, feeling himself swell in his jeans. Carlos leaned back and settled himself in James' lap. James had never done this before and he was a little nervous. He reached up and placed his hands on Carlos' chest, slowly sliding them down over his firm abdomen. He found it very arousing when Carlos sighed and tilted his head back, obviously enjoying it. Finally, James' hand reached their destination and he lightly stroked Carlos' member. Carlos let out a gasp that told James to go further. He gently gripped Carlos and stroked him, feeling the warm flesh slowly beginning to harden. It wasn't long before Carlos was completely aroused and gasping under James' touch.

Regaining his composure, Carlos opened his eyes and looked at James.

"I love you." he gasped, running his fingers lightly through James' soft hair.

"Do you want to...lay down?" James asked, trying not to make Carlos uncomfortable.

A look of surprise and uncertainty crossed Carlos' face. But there was something else there...was that fear?

"I-I um..." Carlos stammered.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." James reassured him.

"It's just that...this is my first time." Carlos said, "I'm um...a little nervous."

"Carlos," James said, taking Carlos' hands into his and holding them gently, "Do you trust me?"

Carlos nodded.

"Do you love me?" James asked.

Again, Carlos nodded.

"You know I would _never _hurt you. Right?" James said.

Another nod.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to." James repeated, "Do you want to do this?"

Carlos thought for a minute.

"Yes." he said, "I want to do this."

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"Yes." Carlos said, "I love you and I trust you. Let's lay down."

James smiled. Carlos moved off him and stood. James also stood.

"Um, James," Carlos said, "We have a problem."

"What?" James asked.

"You're still fully clothed." Carlos said, "I can fix that."

Carlos stepped forward and lifted James' shirt over his head, exposing his toned torso.

"Mmm, James, you're so hot." Carlos moaned, "And you're all mine."

James sexily giggled and pulled Carlos close to him.

"Always." he said, smiling down at him.

They shared a passionate gaze before Carlos stepped back slightly and slid James' jeans down his legs to the floor, bringing his boxers with them. Standing back up, Carlos' eyes widened when he saw James completely naked; he'd never seen him naked before.

"James! You're...huge!" he gasped.

James was about six inches long and he was thick.

"Not a problem, I hope." James said.

"N-no." Carlos said.

They walked over to the bed and Carlos climbed onto it, laying atop its soft sheets. James immediately followed him and kneeled in front of him. He leaned forward and settled against Carlos' body. A groan erupted from them when their manhoods touched, sending an electrifying sensation through their bodies. Carlos whimpered when James ground down hard and fast with his hips.

"Mmm, you like that?" James asked.

Carlos gasped and nodded, longing for more. He was duly rewarded when James repeated his motion. It took only a few of these thrusts before his erection returned with full, pulsing vitality. Just hearing Carlos' moans and sighs of pleasure-the moans and sighs he was causing-was enough to make James instantly hard. He groaned and kissed Carlos with bruising force, thrusting against him.

"You...ready...for me to...get you ready?" James gasped out.

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked, pausing.

"Do you want me to, you know, prepare you? Get you relaxed." James asked.

"O-okay." Carlos nodded.

Carlos watched as James slid two of his fingers into his mouth, coating them thoroughly with his saliva. Once he thought they had enough lubrication, he pulled them out.

"Spread your legs." James whispered.

Carlos did so and his heart raced with nervousness. James reached down and lightly fingered Carlos' tight opening. He pushed a singe finger inside him, causing a harsh gasp from Carlos.

"You okay?" James asked.

"Y-yeah." Carlos nodded, "I've never...had anything, you know...inside me before."

"Just relax." James whispered soothingly.

Carlos took a deep breath and allowed himself to relax. James must have sensed this because he added another finger, gently pushing them in. Carlos gasped again, but this time it was in pleasure. He moaned softly as James slowly moved his fingers in and out of him, getting him ready for what was to come. Soon, he added another, causing Carlos to gasp softly in slight discomfort.

"You okay?" James asked.

Carlos nodded. James scissored his fingers a few times and he felt Carlos' insides relax against them. He was ready. He pulled his fingers out, leaving Carlos' opening gaping with need. Carlos whimpered with loss and he looked down in time to see James spit in his hand and begin to slowly spread it over his member, preparing himself. Seeing this, Carlos was suddenly afraid. Now that it was actually about to happen he was scared of the pain that was to undoubtedly come. Once James finished preparing himself, he leaned over Carlos, supporting himself on his hands on either side of Carlos' torso.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice trembling with need.

"Will you go slow?" Carlos asked.

"Of course." James said.

"I'm ready." Carlos said, spreading his legs a bit more to make sure James had enough room.

James reached down and positioned the tip of his member at Carlos' opening. Carlos closed his eyes, readying himself for the pain. A pain-filled gasp escaped his lips when he felt James push in a couple inches. He felt so much larger than the fingers had been. James paused for a moment before pushing in a few more inches. Carlos squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold back a cry that threatened to escape.

"Easy." James whispered, "Relax. It's okay."

Carlos gasped, trying to will his treacherous body to relax. He so wanted this to happen, but his body seemed to be trying to reject James. Seeing Carlos' obvious discomfort, James' mind raced for something to ease his pain. He reached between them and gently gripped Carlos' member and carefully stroked him. Carlos moaned and the pleasure of being stroked seemed to override the pain of being penetrated for the first time. He gradually relaxed and his body accepted James.

"Ready for me to move?" James asked.

"Yes, please." Carlos said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

James smiled and slowly pulled back and slid back in. He didn't just thrust in, but he gently slid in, giving Carlos a chance to get used to the feeling. Carlos moaned when he felt James move and there was something in the gentleness of his movements that told Carlos that James genuinely cared about him.

"You're so beautiful when you're in pleasure." James said, admiring the beauty of Carlos' delicate features.

"Come closer." Carlos said.

James leaned down so he was on his elbows. Carlos reached up and pulled him into a passionate kiss. James moaned and gently thrust again. It felt so wonderful to feel their bodies gliding together. James kissed Carlos delicately, drinking in every moan that spilled past Carlos' lips as if they were the purest of water and he longed to quench his thirst. James' gentle thrusts slowly increased in speed and they both moaned in ecstasy. James loved the feeling of Carlos' warm hands sliding up and down his bare back. And the way his fingers gently clawed at his skin was one of the many signs that he was enjoying this very much.

"Mmm, does it feel good?" James asked in a low, sensual voice just dripping with passion.

"Y-yes...oh, yes...ugh, harder." Carlos pleaded, "Harder, please!"

A sexy smirk appeared on James' face and he was confident that he could thrust hard and fast like his body was screaming for him to do. He leaned up on his hands, which gave him the needed leverage to thrust at the perfect angle. One the first thrust at this new angle, Carlos' eyes shot open and he cried out softly as his sweet spot was hit.

"You okay?" James asked in concern, thinking he'd hurt Carlos.

"Oh, James...d-do that again!" Carlos gasped, "Please."

His concerns eased, James resumed his thrusting into Carlos' velvet heat. Carlos whimpered and his back arched in pleasure, his inner walls contracting and gripping James' pulsing member. James felt light-headed with pleasure as Carlos' muscles gripped him.

"Ugh, Carlos! You're so tight." James moaned, gripping the sheet beneath them.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Carlos was aware of his painfully-hard member jutting up against his abdomen. He reached down and touched himself, instantly doubling his pleasure. Within minutes, Carlos felt...something...an intense feeling building in the pit of his stomach.

"J-James...I think...oh, I think I'm gonna come!" he gasped.

Judging by the rapturous look on James' face, he was about to come, too. They were going to come together. The feeling in the pit of his stomach slowly mounted and mounted until it burst forth into the most amazing thing they'd ever felt. Carlos whimpered and bit down on his bottom lip, trying with all his might to stifle a scream. His back arched violently and start burst before his vision. He felt a warm wetness flood his insides as James came, his face buried in his shoulder to stifle his loud groans. With one more powerful stroke, Carlos released between them. Riding out the last of their orgasm, they collapsed, their muscles feeling like there made of jell-o. James lay atop Carlos, limp and gasping wildly for a tiny lick of air. Gaining an ounce of strength, Carlos extricated his arms from between them and he embraced James, holding him as close as possible.

"Oh, James...I love you." a quiet whisper slid from his lips to be lost into the night, but forever embedded in their memory.

**A/N: **Didn't I promise the next chapter would be longer? LOL! I think I delivered on that! :D **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	3. Day Off

Hope you liked the previous chapter! :D

**Chapter 3: Day Off**

Sometime in the early hours of the morning, Carlos slowly drifted into the world of wakefulness. His eyes drifted open and it took several minutes for them to adjust to the dim sunlight that poured in from the sliding glass doors that lead onto the balcony. His eyes gradually adjusted and he just lay there for several minutes, unwilling to leave the comfy warmth of his bed. He glanced up at the digital alarm clock on his bedside table and saw that it was 4:45 AM. He still had a couple hours before he had to get up to get ready to go to rehearsal, so he decided to roll over and go back to sleep. He sighed and shifted underneath the blankets, turning over. He was met by a refreshing sight: James in a blissful sleep. He smiled when he saw him, memories of last night flooding back. For a few minutes, he just lay there and stared at him, taking in every gorgeous detail. He reached up and lightly stroked James' long bangs from his face.

The brushing away of his bangs must have stirred James slightly because he moaned softly and turned over onto his back. Carlos' eyes widened when he saw that James was hard in his sleep, his erection forming a 'tent' in the sheet that covered him. Carlos gulped on a moan when he saw him. He glanced up at James' face and he saw that he was still asleep. Carlos reached over and slowly slid the sheet down, exposing James' naked body. He felt a jolt of pleasure shoot through him straight to his groin when he saw James' erection arching out from his body. What was he thinking about? Was James dreaming of him?

Carlos felt his eyes drawn to James' arousal and he felt his own body reacting similarly. He just felt like reaching out and touching James. Did he dare try? He decided to take the chance and do it. What was there to loose? And besides, he was almost sure James wouldn't mind. Timidly, Carlos reached his hand out and lightly ran his fingertips over James' member. James sighed and shifted in his sleep, but showed no sign of waking. Carlos wrapped his hand around the base of James' member, stroking a bit more hard this time. This drew a moan from James and he shifted his hips, but still didn't wake.

Carlos drew his hand away and thought for a minute. He wanted to give James a very sensual morning he wouldn't forget. What could he do? Then, an idea popped into his head. He'd read a Cosmopolitan magazine one time and there was a page where guys had wrote in and told their deepest fantasies. One of them read that the guy wished he could wake to find his lover making love to him. But, Carlos decided to add a little twist...

He moved the covers off him and carefully moved over so he was kneeling between James' parted legs, being careful not to wake him before he was ready to. Taking one last glance at James, Carlos leaned down and slowly ran his tongue along the sensitive underside of James' member. This had a significant effect on James, as he gasped and his eyes shot open. He quickly looked down and he and Carlos shared a passion-filled gaze before Carlos leaned down again and placed a light kiss to the head of James' member. James moaned, signaling Carlos to proceed. Carlos licked his way slowly up James' member again and this time, he took the head into his mouth. A loud groan erupted from James' throat and he arched his back.

Carlos found these pleasured sounds eminating from James to be very arousing and he took more of James into his mouth, beginning to move his head up and down. James cursed out loud and his hand groped for something to grip. His right hand found the back of Carlos' head and he gripped at his raven-black hair, lusting for more.

"Oh, God, Carlos!" James groaned, "Oh, you're so...mmmm, so good."

Carlos moaned and swirled his tongue around James' member, feeling it throb in his mouth. As Carlos moaned, the vibrations from his throat traveled straight into James, shocking his body with amazing sensations. James forced his eyes open and he looked down, the sight of Carlos pleasuring him transfixing his gaze. He thought that just feeling Carlos doing this for him was intense, but watching _and _feeling it nearly doubled the intensity. He watched, studying every detail as Carlos gripped the base of his member and swirled his velvet tongue all around and up and down it. Oh, he was so deep in Carlos right now; he didn't know how Carlos was able to keep from choking with him this deep. Had he done this before? Surely not. He would have to ask him about it later. But none of that mattered when he felt Carlos swallow, the muscles in his throat contracting around him. If Carlos did much more of that, he would surely come.

He choked on a groan when Carlos swallowed again. Carlos must have caught on to this, because he swallowed once more.

"Carlos!" James gasped, "I'm gonna...ugh, I'm gonna come!"

With one more swallow, James felt himself unable to hold back anymore. He groaned loudly and threw his head back as he released powerfully. Carlos moaned and swallowed all he had to offer. He'd heard rumors of a guy's seed tasting bad, but James was different. He tasted...good. Once James rode out the last wave of his orgasm, Carlos pulled back, letting his softening member slide from his lips. He leaned back on his knees and watched as James lay there, gasping for breath and naked before him.

Several minutes passed before James was breathing normally again. He opened his eyes and looked down to Carlos kneeling between his legs. And he noticed something: Carlos was _very _hard. He was so hard that his member was jutting up against his abdomen, just begging to be touched.

"C-come here." James said, "Let me touch you."

Carlos didn't need to be told twice. He moved up and straddled James' waist. James reached up and placed his hand to the back of Carlos' head, gently pulling him down for a sultry kiss. Carlos moaned into the kiss when he felt James reach between them and grip his member in his hand. James stroked him hard and fast, causing him to groan and kiss him with passion and longing. It didn't take long for Carlos to cry out with his release.

Once he regained his strength, he rolled over off James and lay down next to him. James turned over to face him and he pulled him into his arms, holding his smaller body gently. Carlos settled comfortably against James and rested his head on his shoulder. James lightly kissed the top of Carlos' head and stroked his lower back lightly with his fingertips.

"I love you so much, Carlos." James whispered.

He felt Carlos smile against him.

"I love you, too." he said.

With that, they ddrifted off into a blissful sleep, still wrapped lovingly in each others arms.

* * *

Carlos didn't know how long they'd lain there when he was suddenly awakened by the loud, annoying sound of his alarm clock going off. He groaned and rolled over, turning it off. Peeping his eyes open, he saw that it was 6:30. They had an hour to get up, have brekfast, and get to rehearsal or Gustavo would be really mad. He rolled over, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he did. Re-opening them, he saw James standing over by the dresser in front of the mirror, fixing his hair meticulously. Carlos smiled at this as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He stumbled into the bathroom and relieved himself. After taking a quick shower, he put on the outfit he'd laid out the day before: some comfortable jeans and a loose t-shirt. Stepping out of the bathroom, he saw James slipping into a green t-shirt and giving his hair one last brush with his lucky comb.

"Come lay down with me." Carlos said, laying down atop the blankets.

"We've got to go get breakfast." James said, "I can smell it cooking."

"We have a few minutes." Carlos said, "Come lay down with me."

James smiled tenderly and walked over to the bed. He crawled atop the covers with Carlos and lay down beside him, pulling him into a warm embrace. They didn't say a word, they just lay there in each others arms, enjoying their closeness. They had lain there a few minutes when James heard Carlos sniffle and he felt a slight wetness on his shoulder where Carlos' head was laying. He looked down and saw that Carlos was crying.

"What's wrong?" James asked in concern, gently tilting Carlos' head up so they were looking into each others eyes.

Carlos didn't say anything as a few more tears slid down his cheeks.

"What is it?" James asked, searching Carlos' eyes.

"I just love you so much." Carlos said, "I'm so happy."

The tender smile returned to James' face and he carefully wiped away Carlos' tears with his thumb. He gave him a reassuring kiss and held him gently in his muscled arms. As they lay there, they lost track of time, but were reminded of it when their door suddenly opened. Once again, it was Kendall come to tell them that breakfast was ready. But a look of shock crossed Kendall's face when he saw two of his best friends cuddling in the same bed together. The three of them shared a surprised look before Kendall broke the silence.

"Um...mom said breakfast's ready." he said, trying to dodge eye-contact with them, clearly embarassed.

"We'll be in in a minute." James said.

With that, Kendall stepped out and closed the door.

"What are we gonna do?" Carlos asked, "He knows."

"After breakfast, we'll talk about it." James said, trying to keep himself calm.

For the second day in a row, breakfast was oddly silent as James, Carlos, and Kendall tried to avoid eye-contact. After breakfast was over, Mrs. Knight took Katie to her room to help her get ready for an audition and Logan went to take a shower. James, Carlos, and Kendall were alone now.

"Now, I'm not freaking out or anything." Kendall began, "But why were you two cuddling?"

James and Carlos shared a nervous glance, not knowing who should explain things. When Carlos didn't say anything, James decided he must do it.

"We, um...have...feelings for each other." he said, taking Carlos' hand, which was propped on the tabletop.

Kendall's eyes traveled back and forth between them a couple times, as if trying to sort this out in his head.

"So, you two are...gay?" he whispered the last word.

"Yeah." Carlos said, "Are you...okay with it?"

"Sure I am." Kendall said.

"What?" James and Carlos said simultainiously.

"You two are my best friends." Kendall said, "Being gay doesn't change our friendship. You two are still the cool guys I've known my whole life. So, sure, I'm cool with it."

James and Carlos heaved a collective sigh of relief. When Logan came back into the room, they explained the situation to him and he, too, was cool with it. Now that this was out in the open between them, James and Carlos felt much more comfortable with the whole thing.

* * *

Their rehearsal started off as usual. They stared off singing 'Wanna Be Famous' several times until Gustavo was relatively satisfied with it. Then, they switched to 'The City is Ours'. Things were going fine until...

Their song was interrrupted by a sudden sneeze into the microphone. Gustavo instantly killed the music and everyone's head turn to the source of the sneeze: James.

"Sorry." he said, looking embarassed, "My throat's a little sore."

"You might have picked up a germ from school." Logan suggested.

"Come on, dogs!" Gustavo said, sounding very irritated, "Get it right this time!"

The four of them rolled their eyes as the music began again. But just a few lines into the song, James sneezed again. They repeated this proccess four more times, the song being interrupted every time by an unexpected sneeze. As Gustavo readied for the fifth time, he flipped the switch for the music to start, but surprisingly, it didn't. He flipped it several more times, but no music started.

"Boys, we're experiencing some technical difficulties, so I guess you can..." his voice trailed off.

The boys looked at him hopefully.

"...take the rest of the day off." Gustavo said, looking even more irritated.

The four boys were out the door in a second, excitedly bouncing into the hall.

"So, what do _mi amigos_ suggest we do on our day off?" Carlos asked.

"How about the beach?" the three of them said simultainiously.

After Katie's audition was done, all of them returned to their townhouse apartment and put on their swimsuits and gathered their beach supplies(sunscreen, floats, towels, and snacks). They all excitedly piled into the SUV and Mrs. Knight drove them to the beach a few miles away. Almost the second they were in the parking lot, the boys stumbled out of the car, running excitedly across the hot sand to the constantly-moving water.

"Be careful, boys!" Mrs. Knight called as she and Katie got the rest of the supplies out of the car.

The four of them reached the water and jumped in, splashing each other and water-wrestling. Mrs. Knight and Katie walked across the sand and set up a sturdy umbrella and a few chairs. Mrs. Knight seated herself in one of the chairs, and slipped on a pair of sunglasses as she watched the boys and Katie play. While the boys romped and played in the water, Kaite built a few sandcastles. They were there for about forty-five minutes before Mrs. Knight called the boys over for a snack. They all sat under the large unbrella and enjoyed their snack of finger-sandwiches and chips. After their snack, they buried Kendall up to his neck in the sand.

"Hey, let's give him a mermaid tail!" Katie suggested.

Through much giggling, James, Carlos, Logan, and Katie shaped a large mermaid tail out of sand around Kendall's legs.

"You know I'm gonna get you guys for this." Kendall said as they finished up the fin of his 'tail'.

"Just don't move; I have an idea." Carlos said, scooting up so he was kneeling beside Kendall.

He picked up two large handfulls of sand and placed them both on Kendall's sand-covered chest. He shaped them so they were smooth and rounded.

"Hey, look! Kendall's got boobs!" James laughed.

All of them doubled over laughing, and Katie was rolling in the sand.

"You're very anatomically correct." Logan commented through his laughter.

"Oh, this is too cute; I've gotta get a picture!" Mrs. Knight said, taking her camera out of her beach bag, "Everyone gather around him."

James, Carlos, Logan, and Katie all gathered around Kendall.

"Smile!" Mrs. Knight said, focusing her camera.

Everyone smiled and she snapped the picture.

"This has got to go on our Christmas card." Mrs. Knight giggled, sitting back down in her chair.

"Very funny." Kendall said, "Can I move now? I have sand in a most uncomfortable spot."

"Go ahead." Katie said, trying to regain her composure from laughing.

Kendall was up in a second, trying to clean the chafing sand from his swim trunks. After the laughter settled down, James knelt beside Carlos and whispered in his ear.

"Let's go for a walk." he said.

Carlos stood and he and James walked hand-in-hand down the beach. They walked right in the edge of the water so the ocean was lapping over their feet. There was no one down along the beach this way, so they were alone. They enjoyed the feeling of just being together as a couple, holding hands, letting the waves lap over their feet. Once they were a good distance away from the others, James pulled Carlos into a passionate kiss. His arms were wrapped loosely around Carlos' waist, holding him close. A softmoan escaped Carlos' lips and he placed his hands sensually on James' shoulders.

"You're so beautiful." James moaned, running his hands lightly over Carlos' smooth back.

As they drew away, James glanced to the side and saw a guy walking by, looking disgusted.

"What are you looking at?" James asked, pulling Carlos protectively against him.

The guy walked on without saying a word.

"He's still staring at us." Carlos said, glancing around.

"Don't worry about him." James said, giving Carlos' hair a comforting stroke.

After the guy was out of sight, James wrapped his arms around Carlos' legs just below his hips and lifted him off the ground, twirling around. Carlos giggled and leaned down and kissed James.

"I love you so much." James said, smiling from ear to ear.

They shared a few more passionate kisses before they headed back to where the others were. They walked back hand-in-hand.

* * *

That evening, the boys and Katie all sat in the living room watching TV while Mrs. Knight fixed dinner. Of course, James and Carlos sat next to each other on the couch, cuddled close and warm.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Knigh called from the kitchen.

Every one got up, exept for James.

"You coming?" Carlos asked, noticing James stayed where he was on the couch.

"No, I um...I don't feel that good." James said, looking up at Carlos with tired eyes.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked, concerned.

"I'm just a little tired." James said, "I think I'm gonna go lay down."

"Okay." Carlos said, "I'll save you some left-overs for tomorrow."

James nodded and stood and walked into his and Carlos' room. He didn't even bother to take off his jeans; he just lay down and snuggled up under the covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

Later on, when Carlos went to bed, he smiled when he saw James sleeping so peacefully. Before he lay down, he placed a tender kiss to his lover's forehead.

"Sweet dreams." Carlos whispered.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! And I would like to thank **BTRgirl16 **for giving me the idea for them going to the beach! **Thank you, BTRgirl16! **


	4. Sick

Hope you like it! :)

**Chapter 4: Sick**

The first thing James became aware of was the sound of his alarm clock going off. The alarm sounded louder than usual and it seemed to echo in his head. As he peeped his tired eyes open, he suddenly felt the splitting head-ache that pounded away in his head. The light streaming in from the sliding glass door only made it worse. He shut his eyes and tried to will the pain to go away, but, of course, it didn't. The next thing he was aware of was a sharp burn in his throat when he swallowed. His face felt congested and his entire body felt cold. He tried to pull the covers over him, but he couldn't seem to get his arms to work properly. His head-ache intensified as the persistent beeping of his alarm clock seemed to grow louder and louder.

_Please make it stop! _he thought.

As if on cue, the beeping stopped and he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He forced his eyes open and saw the blurry outline of a person standing over him. He could make out the outline of the person's head and shoulders and he could see that they had black hair. He blinked several times before his vision focused and he saw that the person was Carlos.

"James?" Carlos asked, sounding concerned.

James tried to reply, but his throat hurt too much.

"James, are you okay?" Carlos asked.

"I don't feel so good." James said weakly.

James felt a hand press to his forehead.

"You're burning up." Carlos said in surprise.

James then felt an arm wrap around his shoulders, gently lifting him up and helping him to sit up.

"I'll be right back." Carlos said, disappearing into the bathroom.

Glancing down, James saw that he was still wearing the same clothes he'd fallen asleep in: a t-shirt and jeans. Taking a deep breath, James swung his legs over the edge of the bed and glanced around weakly. He saw Carlos come out of the bathroom, holding a wet washcloth. He then felt Carlos gently dab the cloth across his forehead, providing some much-needed relief.

"You don't look so good." Carlos said.

"I don't feel so good, either." James said.

"You want me to help you to the living room?" Carlos asked.

"I can do it." James said, slowly standing.

Carlos followed close behind him as he walked in baby steps across the bedroom to the door. They entered the living room and saw Kendall and Logan sitting on the couch, and Katie sitting on the love seat.

"Woah, dude, are you okay?" Kendall asked in concern when he saw James.

"Do I look okay?" James said as he walked over to the couch.

He plopped down tiredly. He saw Kendall walk out of the room and return in a minute with his mom. The second Mrs. Knight felt of James' forehead, she kicked into 'doctor mode' and ran to get the thermometer.

"Oh, my word! A hundred-and-three!" she gasped, taking the thermometer out of James' mouth, "You cannot go to school like this."

"You look like one of those guys on the zombie movie I watched last night." Katie commented, noticing James' pale complexion and the slight redness around his eyes.

James shot her a weak glance.

"Now, Katie, be nice." Mrs. Knight said, "James, do you think you'll be okay here by yourself when I take the others to school?"

James was about to answer when Carlos piped in.

"I can stay here and take care of him." he suggested.

"Well...I suppose that would be okay." Mrs. Knight said, "I'll explain things to your teacher."

"Great." Carlos said, giving James' shoulder a light squeeze.

James weakly lay down on the couch as everyone else readied themselves for school. A few minutes later, he glanced up and saw Mrs. Knight and Carlos standing beside the kitchen table. Mrs. Knight was holding up a plastic bottle containing an orange liquid.

"Now, be sure to give him this once every two hours." he heard her say.

Carlos nodded and set the bottle on the table.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Mrs. knight called down the hall.

Within a minute, Kendall, Logan, and Katie appeared in the kitchen, holding their backpacks.

"Now, you're sure you boys will be fine here while I'm gone?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Mom, they'll be fine." Kendall said.

"All right, then. Let's go." Mrs. Knight said, leading them out the door.

Once the door closed, Carlos turned back to James and walked over to him.

"You okay?" he asked, brushing a few stray hairs away from James' eyes.

James just shrugged.

"Let's get you more comfortable." Carlos said, walking out of the room.

He returned in a few minutes carrying a few blankets and two pillows. James sat up when he saw him enter the room and he slowly stood. Carlos hastily fixed a comfy 'bed' on the couch and turned back to James.

"You wanna change into something more comfortable?" Carlos asked.

James nodded and slowly made his way to the bedroom, Carlos following close behind. He helped him into his comfortable pajamas(a black tank top and a pair of loose-fitting red-plaid pajama bottoms). Walking back into the living room, James seated himself on the couch and picked up the remote to the TV. He turned it on and flipped through the channels until he found his favorite cartoon: Spongebob Squarepants. Ever since he was little, he always loved to watch Spongebob. He even had a pair of Spongebob underwear secretly tucked away in his drawer in the bedroom.

"You hungry?" Carlos called from the kitchen.

"Yeah." James called back in a scratchy voice.

"How does...some dinosaur-shaped chicken and left-over mac-n-cheese sound?" Carlos asked.

"That's fine." James said, laying back on the comfy couch.

"Coming right up." Carlos said.

James heard the microwave turn on and within a few minutes, Carlos entered the living room carrying two plates(one for him, one for James). Each plate contained six little dino-shaped chicken nuggets, some creamy mac-n-cheese, a dollop of mashed potatoes, and a squirt of ketchup. He set the two plates on the coffee table and stepped back into the kitchen, returning momentarily with two tall glasses of chocolate milk.

They sat there and enjoyed their breakfast, talking a little bit and laughing at Spongebob on TV. James ate his breakfast slowly, his stomach feeling a bit unsettled. He got about half-through his breakfast before his stomach was rebelling and he felt like he couldn't eat another bite. He took one last sip of his chocolate milk and lay back on the couch, settling his head against the plush pillows.

"You okay?" Carlos asked, noticing that James hadn't finished his breakfast(something very unusual for James).

"My stomach hurts." James moaned.

Seeing James so sick and unable finish his breakfast made Carlos feel guilty for being able to enjoy his and he seemed to loose his appetite. He piked up both their plates and took them to the kitchen. He hastily put away the left-overs in the fridge. He walked back into the living room and saw James with an obvious look of discomfort on his face and his arms were wrapped loosely around his stomach. Carlos walked over and knelt beside him, lightly stroking his hair from his face.

"You okay, baby?" he asked softly.

"I'm hot." James said, wiping a few bead of sweat from his face.

"I'll be right back." Carlos said, standing.

He stepped into the bedroom, crossing it in long strides over to the bathroom. He retrieved a washcloth from under the sink and wet it thoroughly, squeezing out the excess water. He quickly walked back to the living room and knelt beside James.

"Here," he said, "This may help."

He gently wiped the cool washcloth over James' forehead and lightly dabbed it on his neck.

"That feels so good." James sighed, turning his face into the coolness of the washcloth.

"See? I told you it would help." Carlos said, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I don't think so." James said, "I just wanna lay here for a while."

"Okay." Carlos said, laying the washcloth on the coffee table, "I'll be right here if you need anything."

James nodded and pulled the covers over him.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Carlos said, "You need to take some of this medicine Mrs. Knight left for you."

James groaned softly; he hated taking that liquid medicine. Carlos walked over to the kitchen table and picked up the bottle of orange liquid labeled 'Dayquil'. He took the small measuring cup off the top and opened the bottle, pouring the cup about half full. He walked back over to James, who had sat up.

"Here." he said, handing James the cup.

A grimace of anticipation crossed James face as he eyed the liquid.

"Do I have to?" James asked.

"I wish you didn't, but you do." Carlos said, looking sympathetic.

James sighed and drank the liquid quickly, trying to get it over with as soon as possible. The second the medicine hit his throat, he gagged and had to force himself to keep from throwing up. With an extreme grimace on his face, he swallowed the medicine.

"God, that's awful!" he said, handing the little measuring cup back to Carlos.

"I'll get you something to get the taste out of your mouth." Carlos said, standing.

He walked into the kitchen and poured a small glass of apple juice. He walked back into the living room and handed it to James, who took a big gulp of it, desperate to get that awful taste out of his mouth. Once the bad taste was out of his mouth, he set his glass on the coffee table and lay down, bringing the covers over him again. Carlos leaned in and placed a soft kiss to his fevered forehead before walked over and sitting down on the love seat.

James didn't know how long he'd lain there when he felt a ferocious churning in his stomach. He knew he was about to throw up. He had to get to the bathroom, but he didn't want to bother Carlos and have him make a fuss over him. He pulled the covers off him and slowly stood, trying not to make his stomach feel any worse than it already did.

"You okay?" Carlos, who was still sitting on the love seat, asked.

"Yeah, I just have to go to the bathroom." James said, "I'll be right back."

"You need any help?" Carlos asked.

"N-no. I'm just going to the bathroom." James said.

He made his way across the living room and into their bedroom, trying to go as fast as possible without stumbling over his own feet.

Carlos reclined on the love seat, reading a hockey magazine, watching James cross the living room out of the corner of his eye. When James disappeared into the bedroom, he turned his eyes back to his magazine. Everything was fine until he heard a retching noise and coughing coming from the bathroom.

"James?" he called, dropping his magazine and sprinting into the bedroom.

He reached the open bathroom door and saw James hunched over the toilet, coughing and retching.

"James!" Carlos gasped, rushing over to him and kneeling down beside him.

Carlos rubbed James' back soothingly and brushed his long hair from his face as he continued to retch, throwing up what he'd had for breakfast earlier.

"It's okay. It's okay." Carlos whispered, "Just let it out."

Once the retching stopped, James was left gasping and exhausted. He collapsed, leaning against the counter. Carlos scooted over next to him and felt of his forehead; he was burning up.

"Hang on a second." Carlos said, getting a fresh washcloth out of the cabinet.

He thoroughly soaked it with cool water and knelt beside James, gently wiping it across his face and neck.

"Why didn't you say something?" Carlos asked.

"I didn't want to be a bother" James gasped weakly.

"Oh, James, you could never be a bother to me." Carlos said, surprised by this.

"Sorry." James said.

"It's okay." Carlos said, "If you need help with anything, just let me know."

James nodded. After a few minutes, he regained some of his strength and Carlos helped him to stand. As he stood, James caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"My hair looks awful." he moaned.

Carlos giggled, "You can fix it later."

He helped James to the living room and he set him down on the couch. James swung his legs up onto the couch and lay down, feeling completely exhausted. Carlos was about to walk back over to the love seat when James grabbed ahold of his hand.

"Will you lay down with me?" James asked, looking up at Carlos with innocent, brown eyes.

Carlos smiled tenderly and nodded. James scooted back a little and Carlos lay down on the couch with him, wrapping his arms around him, holding him gently. He lightly brushed a few stray bangs away from James' face and placed a kiss to his forehead. They lay there in silence for hours that seemed to stretch on forever. It didn't take long for James to drift off into a deep sleep. Although James was sleeping, Carlos didn't get up. He just lay there and held him, listening to his steady breathing and occasional moan. He held him close enough that he could feel his heartbeat against his chest. He was content.

They lay there until Carlos heard a car pull into the driveway and within a few minutes, he heard the door being unlocked. The door opened and everyone else spilled in, chattering about their day. Once Mrs. Knight saw that James was sleeping, she immediately shushed everyone and ushered them down the hall to put their things away.

"How is he?" Mrs. Knight whispered, stepping into the living room.

"He's okay, I guess." Carlos whispered, carefully extricating himself from James' loose hold, "He threw up a few times a couple hours ago."

"Oh, dear." Mrs. Knight said, "The poor thing. Did you give him that Dayquil?"

"Yeah. I didn't notice any change after he took it." Carlos said, standing.

Mrs. Knight walked away, shaking her head as if in thought. A few minutes later, Logan walked in.

"He has the flu." he said, "I looked up his symptoms in a medical encyclopedia at school. He definitely has the flu."

Carlos just stared at him.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Nothing." Carlos said, sitting down on the love seat.

"You okay?" Logan asked, noticing Carlos looked disturbed by something.

"I'm fine." Carlos lied.

"Come on," Logan said, sitting down next to him, "I know something's wrong."

Carlos sighed, "I just hate seeing him like this."

"What? James?" Logan said, "It's just the flu; it's easily treatable."

"I know, but still..." Carlos said, "I just hate seeing him sick like this."

"He'll be fine." Logan said, wrapping an arm around Carlos' shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze.

Carlos half-heartedly smiled.

James slept through the rest of the day and most of the evening. Everyone(with the exception of Carlos, who refused to leave his side) mostly stayed in their rooms, doing their usual daily activities so they wouldn't disturb James' sleeping. Kendall and Logan checked in on them regularly, as best friends would do.

Around 5:00, Mrs. Knight began fixing a big pot of her 'famous' home-made soup, which everyone loved. Soon, the sumptuous aroma of the soup cooking filled the apartment, making everyone's stomachs growl. James must have smelled it, too, because he slowly awoke, his eyes wandering around the room, searching for the source of the delicious smell.

Carlos, who was playing his Nintindo DS on the love seat, glanced up and saw James was awake. He immediately paused his game and knelt down beside him.

"Hey." he whispered, "How you feeling?"

James smiled weakly, "Maybe just a little better no that I see you."

Carlos smiled and placed a kiss to James' forehead.

"What smells so good?" James asked.

"Mrs. K is fixing some of her home-made soup." Carlos answered.

"Sounds good." James said, "I'm starving."

About an hour later, the soup was finally done and everyone piled around, waiting for their bowl to be filled. Everyone except Carlos sat down at the table. Instead, Carlos filled two bowls and took them to the living room where James was sitting up on the couch. He set the bowls on the coffee table and he sat down at the end. James carefully scooted down so he was also sitting in the floor. All of them greatly enjoyed their soup, as they always did. As James finished his soup, he felt his stomach start to rebel slightly and he prayed that he wouldn't throw up such a delicious dinner.

A few hours later, everyone readied themselves for bed and turned in for the night. Everyone, that is, except Carlos. He got a thick blanket and his two pillows from his room and arranged them on the love seat. He planned to sleep there in the living room so he could be close to James in case he needed him. The two of them lay there in the living room, soon falling asleep to the sound of Spongebob's repetitive laugh resonating from the TV(which Mrs. Knight insisted they turn the volume down on).

Carlos was awakened sometime later in the night by the sound of someone coughing and wheezing. At first, he thought he was dreaming, but as he awakened more, he glanced over and saw James curled up in a little ball on the couch and he was coughing and gasping for breath. The look on his face told Carlos that he was in pain. Carlos was up in a second, kneeling beside James and whispering reassuring words to him.

"It's okay, Jamie. It's okay." Carlos said, calling James by his rarely-used nick-name.

Upon hearing his nick-name being said, James opened his eyes and looked up.

"Carlos?" he asked in between coughs.

"I'm here. It's okay." Carlos reassured him, "I'm here. Just breathe."

James tried to silence his coughs and he forced himself to take deep breaths. Once the coughing died down, Carlos stood and walked into the kitchen. He poured some apple juice into a glass and poked a bendy-straw into it so James wouldn't have to sit up. He walked back into the living room and knelt beside James again.

"Here, drink some of this." he said, placing the straw at James' lips.

James took a few sips, the cool liquid soothing his sore, dry throat.

"Thank you." he whispered when he finished.

Carlos nodded and set the half-empty glass on the coffee table.

"You okay now?" he asked, stroking James' hair lightly.

"I think so." James said.

With that, Carlos lay back down and drifted off to sleep only to be woken again a couple hours later by the sound of James experiencing another coughing fit. Again, he got up and soothed him and gave him some apple juice to sooth his throat. They repeated this process several more times during the night before Carlos lay down on the couch with James, holding him close. They both fell asleep together, exhausted.

The next morning when everyone else readied themselves for school, Mrs. Knight didn't bother to wake them, seeing that they were obviously tired. She just left them alone, letting them sleep peacefully together.

**A/N: **Whew! There it is! And you better like it because it is 4:30AM here and I am soooooo tired and my hands hurt from typing so much! If you don't like it, I will be forced to send my minion bunnies after you and they will eat you while you're sleeping! LOL! :D **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	5. Sweet Dreams

Thanks for the review(s).

**Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams**

It was around 1:30 when Carlos finally came back to the world of wakefulness. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was James' pale face. They were still snuggled close together under the blanket and Carlos could feel the hotness of James' fevered body. He pulled his arm from under the cover and felt of James' forehead; he was still burning up. Carlos was loathe to disturb James, but the longer he lay there, the more he felt the 'call of nature'. Finally, after half an hour, he could ignor it no more. He very carefully extricated himself from James' loose hold and rushed across the room, running on his tip-toes so he wouldn't wake James. He scurried across their bedroom to the bathroom and quickly relived himself. Needless to say, he felt much better after that.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he stipped himself of his clothes and tossed them in the hamper in the corner. He then slipped on a fresh t-shirt and a pair of jeans and, of course, his underwear. Once he was dressed, he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, browsing its contents for something to fix fo breakfast. His gaze fell upon a really big, clear plastic bowl filled to the brim with the left-over home-made soup from last night. That would be perfect. He picked up the heavy bowl and set it on the counter, removing the lid. He got two bowls out of the cabinet and filled them with the cold soup before popping them in a microwave. While waiting for the soup to heat up, Carlos glanced over and saw a piece of paper laying on the otherwise bare tabletop. He walked over the picked up the piece of paper and read the note scribbled on it.

_Took everyone to school. I have a few errands to run, so I probably won't be back until school lets out. Don't forget to give James a dose of Dayquil when he wakes up. There is plenty of left-over soup in the fridge and a new bottle of apple juice. _

_Mrs. K _

Carlos set the not down when he heard the microwave beeping. he walked over and took the two bowls of warmed soup out and set them on the counter and put a dollop sour cream in James' bowl, just the way he liked it. Putting the sour cream away, he picked up the two bowls again and entered the living room and saw James was awake and sitting up.

"Hey." Carlos said, "How you feeling?"

"About the same." James said, standing up slowly, "I'll be right back."

Carlos nodded and James crossed the room slowly, disappearing into the bedroom. Carlos guessed he was going to the bathroom. Not wanting to start breakfast without James, Carlos sat back on the love seat and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he found a crime investigation show that looked interesting. He leaned back and watched it, waiting for James to return from the bathroom. He waited and waited for about fifteen minutes before James finally returned.

"What took you so long?" Carlos asked, "I had to re-heat the soup twice."

"I was fixing my hair." James said, sitting down on the couch.

Carlos just rolled his eyes. They sat there and enjoyed their delicious soup, talking a little as they did. James didn't talk much, though; his throat was hurting alot and talking just made it worse. As James finished his soup, he set his bowl aside and lay back down on the couch. He'd just woken up and he felt so tired, he just wanted to pull the cover over his head and sleep forever. It wasn't long, though, before he felt his treacherous stomach starting to rebel against his recent breakfast. He swallowed hard and tried to keep the growing nausea at bay, trying to focus on something else. He tried to focus his attention on the crime investigation show on TV, but the unsettling feeling in his stomach was growing my the minute.

Finally, he could ignor it no more and he was forced to rush to the bathroom, almost stumbling several times in the process. Of course, Carlos rushed after him in concern.

"James?" he asked, reaching the bathroom door.

He was met by the sight of James once again hunched over the toilet, throwing up violently. A look of sympathy crossed Carlos' face and he knelt down beside his friend, his lover, and tried his best to comfort him.

"It's okay." Carlos said softly, "Just breathe."

Carlos whispered these words of comfort as he gently rubbed James' hot back, trying to relax his tight muscles. Once James finished throwing up, he felt completely exhausted. His throat felt like it was on fire and his stomach felt as if someone were ripping at his insides. He collapsed to the floor, leaning his back against the cabinet, gasping for breath. Noticing the sweat that poured down James' face, Carlos got a washcloth out of the cabinet and soaked it with cold water from the faucet. He then knelt beside James and wiped the washcloth across his hot face and neck in a desperate effort to cool him down.

"Thank you." James said weakly, turning his face into the coolness.

They sat there for a few more minutes until James finally regained some of his strength. Carlos helped him to stand and they slowly walked into the bedroom.

"You wanna change into something cooler?" Carlos asked; James was burning with fever and his long pajama bottoms probably weren't helping much.

James nodded, "Is my big sleepshirt clean?"

"I think so." Carlos said, helping James sit down on the edge of the bed facing the door.

Carlos walked over to the dresser by the door and searched through the drawers until he found James' favorite sleepshirt and a fresh pair of boxerbriefs for him. It was big and baggy and had a graphic skull design on the front. Spots of blue were spattered across the front, looking as if someone had splattered paint on it. Carlos walked back over to James and lay the shirt beside him. He then helped him out of his pajamas and put them in the hamper in the corner. James weakly put on his sleepshirt and underwear, opting not to wear his other pajama bottoms; they were hot and sometime bunched up around his legs, making sleeping rather uncomfortable.

He stood and slowly walked back to the living room, Carlos following close behind. They entered the living room and Carlos gently set James down on the couch and seated himself beside him.

"You okay?" Carlos asked, noticing a slight grimace of James' face.

"I'm fine." James moaned.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Carlos asked.

"No, I'm fine." James said simply.

"Are you sure you don't want a sip of apple juice or something?" Carlos asked.

"Damn it, Carlos, I said I'm fine!" James said loudly, almost yelling.

He immediately regretted it when he saw the look of hurt that crossed Carlos' face.

"Oh, Carlos, I'm sorry." James apologized, "I'm just so tired and everything. I'm so sorry."

"That's okay." Carlos said, "I understand."

Carlos placed a kiss to James' cheek and helped him to lay down. Carlos was about to get up when James grabbed his hand.

"Carlos," he said, "There is something you can do for me."

"What is it?" Carlos asked.

"Would you...rub my back?" James asked, giving Carlos' hand a little squeeze.

Carlos smiled tenderly and nodded. He helped James to turn over on his stomach and he seated himself beside him. He lifted his big sleepshirt up to his shoulders, exposing his smooth back. He started at the base and worked his way up to James' shoulders, gently massaging away his tense muscles.

"Mm, that feels so good." James moaned, "I'll give you five hours to stop that."

Carlos smiled and continued to gently massage James' back. He did this for several minutes.

"Carlos." James said to get his attention.

"Yeah, baby?" Carlos asked.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me." James said.

"You're welcome." Carlos said, smiling.

He continued with his gentle massaging for several more minutes until he glanced down and saw that the massaging had lulled James into a blissful sleep. Smiling, Carlos stopped rubbing his back and pulled his shirt down. He lightly draped the blanket over him and leaned down to place a kiss to his cheek.

"Sweet dreams." he whispered.

* * *

For a full two weeks, James was confined to the house with the flu. But he was far from lonely. Carlos was there for him every second, and when they weren't at school, his friends were there for him, too. During those two weeks, Carlos proved to be an excellent care-giver and 'doctor' to him. Logan commented that Carlos should pursue a career as a doctor with him one day, but Carlos had no desire to be a doctor; he just looked after James.

Everyone was surprised when Carlos didn't come down with the flu. After all, he was the one that was around James all day and came into comntact with him. But, oh, well; stranger things have happened.

It was a peaceful Friday afternoon and everyone was sitting in the living room watching TV. Mrs. Knight busied herself with cleaning the kitchen. She must've glanced at the clock because she called into the living room, "Katie, will you go get the mail, please?"

Katie got up from sitting on the love seat and walked out the front door. She returned in a minute carrying several envelopes, one of which she opened. Taking a brief look at it, she looked up, her face beaming.

"Mom, I got all A's on my report card!" she said excitedly.

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Knight said, giving her a hug.

They hugged for several seconds before Mrs. Knight pulled away and bent down so she was eye-level with Katie.

"I think this deserves something special." she said, "You know that fish aquarium you've been wanting ever since you were six?"

Katie nodded excitedly.

"Well, since tomorrow it Saturday, we'll take a trip to the pet store and we'll get it for you." Mrs. Knight said.

Katie squealed and gave her a big hug.

The next morning, Katie woke up everyone early so they could get the pet store almost as soon as it opened. Carlos was unwilling to get up at first and he almost fell asleep in his oatmeal. But he forced himself to stay awake and everyone finished their breakfast without any incident. They drove across town to the local Petsmart and made their way to the wall of aquariums on one side of the large store. Katie looked in awe at all the colorful, beautiful fish swimming about in the aquariums. They stood there for about half an hour while Katie found it nearly impossible to choose which fish she wanted for her aquarium. Getting rather bored, James let his eyes and mind wander. He looked to his side and was surprised to find that Carlos wasn't there. He looked around and saw no sign of him. Curious as to where he was, James walked down to the end of the aisle and saw him squatted down in front of an aquarium of pretty fresh-water fish.

"What are you doing?" James asked, squatting down next to him.

"Just looking." Carlos said, "Aren't they pretty?"

James smiled and watched Carlos gaze at the colorful fish swimming gracefully in the aquarium. His eyes sparkled with child-like mirth and he looked as if he were closely studying the fish. Carlos had always had an adorable child-like side to him that James just loved. He loved to laugh and his smile could light up a room. And the way he clung so close to his helmet sometimes just added to his adorable-ness.

James was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Carlos lightly tapping on the glass of the aquarium with his finger. His smile seemed brighter when a particularly pretty black fish with bulging eyes swam up to the front of the aquarium and seemed to be watching him. Seeing this, an idea popped into James' head.

"Hey, Carlos." he said, "How would you like to get a small aquarium for our room?"

"Really?" Carlos asked, smiling from ear to ear.

James nodded. Carlos grabbed James and embraced him happily.

"Thank you!" he said.

"You're welcome." James said, returning Carlos' hug.

While Katie and Mrs. Knight busied themselves with picking out Katie's fish and Kendall and Logan visited the small kennel in the back of the store, James and Carlos picked out a nice five-gallon fish aquarium and spent about half an hour selecting decorations and the fish. Carlos was almost as indecisive on selecting his fish as Katie was. There were just so many pretty ones, it was hard to choose. But, he finally picked out four beautiful ones and he was so excited to get home and set it up. The whole ride home, Carlos held his baggy of fish on his lap, his smile beaming the whole way.

It took over two hours, but James and Carlos finally managed to get their aquarium set up. Most of the time was occupied by Carlos trying to decide where to position the decorations and James trying to figure out how to install the filter for the water. But, they got it working and Carlos was so excited to finally place the fish in the water. He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the fish swim happily about the aquarium for about an hour after they finished. The aquarium was on his nightstand, so he could lay on the bed and admire the fish easily.

That night, James stepped out of the bathroom and saw Carlos already asleep, snuggled underneath the covers. Seeing this, James paused and just looked at him, admiring him. The only light in the room was that of the aquarium on his nightstand and the rippling of the water reflected and danced playfully across Carlos' tranquil face, across his caramel skin. He looked so beautiful, so peaceful. James stepped forward and lightly brushed his fingers through Carlos' raven-black hair. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"Sweet dreams." he whispered.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! Weeeeee! Hope you like it! Remember, I have my minion bunnies watching you! LOL! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D


	6. Pudding

Da-da-daaaaaa! Finally, another steamy chappy! Squeeeeeeeeeeeee! I love to write steamy chapters! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

**Chapter 6: Pudding**

"Carlos, are you nearly read to go?" Kendall's voice called from the kitchen.

Carlos, who was hurriedly packing his duffel bag in his room, rolled his eyes.

"I'm working on it!" he called back.

The four boys had been(surprisingly) asked again by Gustavo to mansion-sit for him while he was away on business for a couple days. Of course, the boys were greatly anticipating this; they loved spending time in Gustavo's huge mansion. There were so many things to do(and, not to mention, several rooms that remained unexplored). There were plenty of things to keep them occupied; there was a media room with a complete gaming system, an indoor pool, an air-hockey table, and a refrigerator full of pudding.

Going over his list in his head one last time, Carlos prayed he hadn't forgotten anything. He had his helmet(which was the first thing he packed), clean underwear, some changes of clothes, his Nintindo DS; his toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo; and a few video games to play in the game system. He had everything. He zipped his large, blue duffel bag closed and slung it over his shoulder. He walked into the kitchen where everyone else was waiting.

"It's about time." Kendall said.

Carlos ignored him.

"Now, you promise you won't forget to feed the fish?" Carlos asked Mrs. Knight; ever since Gustavo had asked them to mansion-sit for him, Carlos had been worried about his precious aquarium fish.

"You have nothing to worry about. I won't forget." Mrs. Knight said reassuringly.

With that, they all walked out the door and piled into the SUV. Mrs. Knight started the car and they drove across town, past the Palm Woods and past the Rocque Records recording studio, to Gustavo's huge, Mediterranean-style mansion.

"Be careful and have fun." Mrs. Knight said as the boys stumbled out of the car and retrieved their bags from the back.

"We will, mom." Kendall said, closing the back of the car.

"Don't forget to call me." Mrs. Knight said, "And don't forget to lock all the doors."

"Mom, we will." Kendall said, "Don't worry."

With that, Mrs. Knight and Katie drove away, leaving the boys to themselves. They unlocked the gate and walked up to the tall, elegantly-carved front door. Kendall unlocked it and they stepped into the grand, white-marble foyer.

"I call first dibs on the game system!" James said.

Immediately, they rushed off to the media room. They spent most of the rest of the day playing video games and snacking on pudding. When they weren't playing video games, they were either watching TV or exploring the many rooms of the mansion. James and Carlos split off from Kendall and Logan, deciding to explore by themselves. They made their way to the foyer and crossed it, their bare feet making a light pitter-patter sound on the cool, marble floor. Walking down a small set of stairs, they were in the large living room.

"So, where do you suggest we go first?" James asked, looking around.

Carlos glanced around and noticed a hallway leading off to an unknown part of the mansion. How could they have missed that before?

"Let's look down there." he suggested, pointing to the hall.

"Excellent choice." James said.

They walked off down the hallway, which turned to the right a short distance down. Another short distance down, the hallway stopped, but on their right was a closed door. Intreagued, they opened the door and stepped inside an turned on the light. Looking around, they saw that this was a small rec room. It contained a pool table, a plush couch(which had an end-table on each side), a coffee table, and a large flatscreen TV.

"This is awsome." Carlos said, looking around.

"I challenge you to a game of pool." James said, "Winner gets the last pudding cup."

"You're on." Carlos said.

They walked over to the rack of cue sticks on the wall and retrieved two of them. They spent hours playing pool(which James discovered he was rather good at). In the end, their game was a tie and they agreed to share the last pudding cup.

* * *

As dusk neared, they were all sitting in the living room, watching Dateline on the large, flatscreen TV. Carlos sat in the plush bean bag chair beside the couch, James reclined on the couch, and Kendall and Logan sat in the floor between the couch and the coffee table. As they sat there, Carlos felt his phon vibrating against his leg; he was getting a text. He took his phone out of his pocket and read the text on the bright screen. It was from James.

_Meet me in the rec room tonight at 11:30. Come alone and wear something sexy._

Carlos looked up and saw James had a sexy smirk on his face. This could be interesting.

As 11:30 neared, Kendall and Logan had already gone to bed and the entire mansion was silent. In his room, Carlos stripped himself of his clothes and slipped into his hockey jersey. The only other thing he wore was a pair of blue boxerbriefs trimmed with black elastic. He left his room and walked down the wide hallway to the sweeping stairs. He reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the foyer quietly, the water trickling down the fountain in its center reflecting and dancing across the walls and ceiling. There must have been some kind of lights installed in the bottom of the fountain because the whole room was illuminated with a soft, blue glow.

We made his way across the foyer to the hallway and walked to the closed door of the rec room. It was a good thing they were clear across the mansion from Kendall and Logan; they were more than likely going to be making alot of noise soon. After all, they hadn't made love in over two weeks because James had been sick. Taking a deep breath, Carlos opened the door and stepped inside.

The overhead light had been turned down and the room was dimly lit, but there was still enough light for them to see properly. Looking to his right, Carlos saw that the couch was actually a pull-out bed. On the edge sat James wearing only a pair of black boxerbriefs. When James saw Carlos walk in, he stood and walked over to him, smiling.

"Mm, very sexy." he said, looking Carlos up and down.

Carlos blushed and cast his eyes downward.

"Don't be shy." James said, lifting Carlos' chin gently so they were looking into each others eyes, "You look beautiful."

Carlos smiled and the whole world seemed to melt away, just leaving him and James. James leaned closer and before they knew it, their lips connected in a magical kiss. Carlos instantly responded and wrapped his arms around James' neck, moaning softly. James, too, wrapped his arms around Carlos and pulled him close, teasing his tongue at Carlos' lips. Carlos parted his lips and swallowed each and every moan spilling from James' lips.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they parted, their lungs screaming for air. James felt something hot and rather hard pressing against him. He glanced down and saw a bulge appearing in Carlos' boxerbriefs already.

"Excited much?" he smirked.

"It's...it's been over two weeks since..." Carlos gasped out, "...since we made love."

"Well, I think it's about time we caught up on that." James said, "Go look on the pillow. There's a surprise for you."

Intrigued, Carlos walked down the two steps that separated the pool table area from the living area and looked at the soft pillow at the head of the bed. Situated on the pillow was a pudding cup and a small, clear container containing a white substance.

"What's all this?" Carlos asked.

"It's for you." James said walking over, "I wanted to do something special for you."

Carlos smiled; this was definitely going to be fun. James picked up the two items off the pillow and set them on the end table. He turned back to Carlos with a sexy smile on his face.

"Ready to have some fun?" he asked.

His heart racing, Carlos leaped into James' arms ad crushed their lips together. James laughed and gently lay Carlos down on the bed, kissing him heatedly the whole time. Constant moans spilled from Carlos' mouth and he was obviously enjoying this _alot. _Their kisses were soon interrupted by a series of whimpers and soft cries emanating from Carlos. James pulled away from the kiss and looked down at him questioningly.

"Did you just..." he asked.

Carlos nodded rapidly, gasping.

"I've needed you...so bad." he gasped.

James raised his eyebrows; he wasn't even hard yet and Carlos had just had an orgasm from simply kissing. Did he want to continue or was he satisfied? James' question was immediately answered when Carlos pulled him in for another heated kiss.

"I want you to be satisfied, too." Carlos moaned, "I'm yours."

James moaned and pulled away from the kiss.

"Let's take this slow." he whispered, "It's been a while."

Carlos nodded, excited to see what James had in mind for them. James leaned in and softly kissed him, much like the first time they'd made love. The kiss was brief before he moved down to nibble on Carlos' neck. Carlos moaned and tilted his head back to give James better access; his neck was one of his sensitive spots. After a little while of this, James leaned up and scooted down a little. He glanced down and saw a wet stain on the front of Carlos' underwear. Noticing this, Carlos blushed a little. James leaned down between Carlos' legs and placed a kiss to the wet stain on his underwear. This caused Carlos to gasp. James moved up and lifted Carlos' hockey jersey a little to expose his lower abdomen. He placed a trail of kisses up Carlos' abdomen, lifting his jersey a little more as he did so. Finally, he went high enough to lift Carlos' jersey over his head, tousling his hair a little as he did. He tossed the jersey to the floor and reached over to grab the chocolate pudding cup from off the end table.

"Time to put this to good use." he said, peeling off the foil lid.

He dipped his finger into the pudding and leaned back to sit on his haunches. He licked the pudding off his finger, sucking on it seductively.

"Want some?" he asked Carlos, who was eyeing him and squirming slightly.

Carlos nodded. James smiled and got some more pudding on his finger. He let Carlos lick the pudding from his finger, moaning softly as he watched him swirl his tongue around it.

"That's good." Carlos said, swallowing his bite of pudding.

"Let's see what else we can do with it." James said, getting some more on his fingers.

He reached up and slowly smeared a trail of pudding down Carlos' chest and over his abdomen. He stopped just before he reached the hem of Carlos' underwear. He left just enough pudding in the cup for a little something he had planed for later...

James leaned down and slowly kissed his way up Carlos' abdomen, sucking on his caramel skin and licking away the pudding as he did. Carlos moaned and relaxed, sinking into the amazing sensations.

"Oh, James..." he sighed as James reached his chest, slowly licking up his breast bone.

Once all the pudding was licked away, James leaned up and looked Carlos seductively in the eyes.

"You have pudding on your face." Carlos giggled.

"Well, why don't you lick it off?" James asked.

"Come here." Carlos said.

James smiled and leaned down, pressing his body into Carlos', gasping when their arousals pressed together. Carlos pulled him into a sumptuous kiss, licking away the pudding around his lips. James moaned and kissed Carlos with heated passion. He ground his hips against Carlos', groaning at the jolt of sensation that shot through him. His erection was straining against his underwear and they felt much too tight. He had to get them off. He had to feel Carlos hard against him. He was forced to part from their delicious kiss and he leaned up, quickly shedding his black boxerbriefs. Once they were out of the way, he peeled Carlos' off him and dropped them in the pile of clothes on the floor.

"P-please, James...I need you." Carlos gasped.

"Patience, my little _Carlitos_." James said, "I have one more surprise for you."

He reached over to the nearly-empty pudding cup on the end table and scraped the last bit of it out with his finger. Setting it aside, he turned back to Carlos. Carlos' heart raced and he wondered what James was about to do. James gave him a sexy smirk before reaching down and smearing a trail of pudding up the underside of Carlos' hardened member. Carlos gasped and shuddered.

"That's cold." he said.

"You like it?" James asked, smearing more of the cool pudding over his member.

Carlos fervently nodded, longing for more. Once his member was coated with the pudding, James leaned down and licked slowly up the underside of Carlos' member, right along the throbbing vein that ran along it. Carlos cried out, fighting to keep from screaming. James reached the head of Carlos' member and engulfed it in his mouth, sucking gently and swirling his tounge around it. Carlos whimpered and his back arched involuntarily. James slowly moved down, taking in more of Carlos while swirling his tongue around his member the whole time. Carlos whimpered and gripped the sheet beneath him repeatedly. He fought the urge to just thrust up into that wonderful mouth, but he knew he couldn't or he could hurt James if he did so. As James gently sucked around his member, Carlos' mind drifted to that morning over two weeks ago when he did this for James. Was this what he had been feeling? He hoped so because this was so amazing.

"Oh, God, James!" Carlos moaned loudly, squirming beneath James' warm mouth.

James moaned around his erection, sending the vibrations through his body straight to his heart. Carlos gasped and threw his head back, his back arching. If James kept this up, he would surely come. Oh, he just knew his second orgasm was just around the corner. He prepared himself for the shockwaves of pleasure, but they never came. He suddenly felt something leave him. He looked down and saw that James no longer had his mouth around him.

"What...what are you doing?" Carlos gasped out.

"I don't want to make you come before I'm ready for you to." James said in a deep, seductive voice.

Carlos forced his breathing to return to a semi-normal pace as he watched James reach over onto the end table and pick up the small, clear container. He took the lid off and got some of the white contents on two of his fingers.

"What's that?" Carlos asked.

"Lubricant." James answered, "I got it especially for you."

Carlos smiled. James set the container aside and leaned back on his haunches, scooting a little closer between Carlos' legs, which he spread farther to allow James more room. He gasped when he felt James lightly finger his opening, gently massaging the lube all around it. He gasped a little harsher when he felt James push a single finger inside him. It was a little uncomfortable because they hadn't done this in over two weeks, but he soon relaxed and allowed James to add a second finger. He moaned softly as James slowly moved his fingers in and out of him, getting him used to the feeling.

"Oh, James, that feels so good." Carlos moaned, his eyes drifting shut.

"Don't get too used to it; we haven't even started yet." James said, adding a third and final finger.

Carlos gasped harshly as James did a scissoring motion with his fingers, gently stretching his inner muscles for what was about to come. He let out a soft whimper of loss when James removed his fingers. He opened his eyes and glanced down and saw James, stroking himself, preparing himself with a generous amount of the lube.

"H-hurry up." Carlos stammered, his opening empty and gaping with need.

Hearing Carlos' urgent words of need, James stopped stroking himself and lowered himself down between his legs. Carlos lightly gnawed at his bottom lip, almost trembling with anticipation. He felt the head of James' member nudging at his opening, lightly stroking along the super-sensitive skin. He looked up at James questioningly, asking with his eyes what he was waiting for.

"I don't want to hurt you." James said, "You ready?"

Carlos' voice seemed to leave him, so he just nodded. James gave him a trusting look and positioned the tip of his member at Carlos' waiting opening. He slowly pushed forward, fighting the urge to just plunge himself into Carlos' tight heat. But he knew he couldn't; he would surely hurt Carlos, and he would rather die than do that. He trembled slightly as he slowly sheated himself in Carlos' warm depths. Beneath him, Carlos was letting out a series of pathetic little gasps and small whimpers as he forced himself to relax against the intrusion. He moaned as his insides relaxed and James sheathed himself fully inside him. James paused for a moment to allow Carlos' insides to adjust before he began to thrust gently.

Carlos moaned and let the amazing feeling wash over him, flooding his every fiber and nerve. James leaned down and captured Carlos' kiss-swollen lips with his own. A sensual moan slid from Carlos' lips and he kissed back with longing, running his fingers through James' hair. Their tongues clashed together, battling for dominance. Carlos whimpered softly and threw his head back in ecstasy as James slowly increased the pace of his perfect thrusting.

"Oh, James...James!" Carlos cried, "Oh, please...harder...please..." Carlos pleaded weakly, need coursing through his caramel body.

James smiled and gladly thrust harder. He found the pitiful whimpers and moans spilling from Carlos' lips to be very arousing.

"Mmm, Carlos...you're so warm...and tight...so tight." James moaned, feeling pleasantly light-headed with the pleasure.

Carlos made it a point to tighten further around James, causing him to groan. This, too, of course, intensified Carlos' pleasure significantly. He continued with this, his body longing for its release. He was suddenly surprised when James leaned up slightly and grabbed his left leg and placed it over his shoulder. He didn't know he was that flexible. But that first thrust thereafter was the most incredible thing he'd ever felt. James hit his sweet spot perfectly, causing an amazing jolt of ecstasy shoot through his body like a lightening bolt. He cried out and gripped the sheet firmly.

"Are you okay?" James asked in concern, thinking he'd hurt Carlos somehow.

"Oh, God!" Carlos cried, "D-do that again! Please."

James' confidence returned and he thrust again, a little more gently this time. Carlos whimpered, his body tensing up. He just knew he was going to come soon. Oh, he just knew it.

"P-please, James! Please! I need...oh, God, I need to come!" Carlos pleaded, "I need to come!"

James sensed nothing but insatiable, longing passion and raw need in Carlos' voice. This was something he'd never heard before, much less from Carlos. And it was...hot. He found it to be such a turn-on. He thrust harder, and heard Carlos' soft cries and whimpers of ecstasy increase. It took less than a couple minutes for them to finally be seized by the mind-blowing ecstasy and passion. Their muscles seized up and they found it impossible to move as the orgasm overtook them. They didn't care who heard them, they could not control the cries and screams that erupted from their inner core. Carlos' back arched violently and he felt James' white-hot seed flood his insides. His inner muscles clenched so hard around James, he thought he would faint from the pleasure. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the unmeasurable ecstasy came to a gradual stop, the intense sensations slowly ebbing away.

Their muscles released their ferocious hold and they collapsed into each other, gasping as if they'd just run a hundred miles. Carlos slid his leg from James' shoulder; it was beginning to get a little uncomfortable. It took at least fifteen minutes for them to regain their composure and their breath. James leaned up on his elbows and gazed down at Carlos.

"Look at me." he whispered.

Carlos peeped his eyes open and looked at him.

"Oh, you're so beautiful." James whispered.

He leaned down and placed a kiss to Carlos' lips. The kiss was so delicate and Carlos felt so much passion behind it, that he was almost brought to tears.

"I love you." James whispered, pulling away.

"Oh, James..." Carlos moaned softly.

James smiled tenderly down at him and lightly ran his hand along his cheek.

"I have a surprise for you." James whispered.

"Another one?" Carlos asked, "What is it?"

"Look over there." James said, pointing over in the near corner.

Carlos looked over and saw a little red light 'hovering' a few feet off the ground. He focused his eyes closer and saw a video camera situated on top of a tripod.

"You...video-taped us?" Carlos asked.

James nodded, "Now we can go back and watch it and remember this always."

Carlos smiled and kissed him passionately. This was definitely a night he would remember always.

**A/N: **Hope you like it! Remember, I still have my minion bunnies watching you! LOL! :D


	7. Nightmares and Ecstasy

Hope you enjoyed the kinky previous chapter! :D

**Chapter 7: Nightmares and Ecstasy**

The next morning began much like any other. Everyone got up and took their daily showers and got dressed in comfortable around-the-house clothes(jeans and t-shirts). As Carlos walked down the stairs just after taking his shower, the wonderful smell of breakfast cooking met him. He made his way to the large kitchen and saw James and Logan sitting on bar stools in front of the 'island' in the middle of the kitchen, and Kendall busied himself with fixing their breakfast(he was the only one who knew how to actually cook; the rest of them stuck with fixing things in the microwave). Carlos walked over and joined James and Logan sitting at the 'island'. He sat next to James, who smiled and wrapped his arm loosely around his waist.

"Morning." he said, placing a light kiss to Carlos' cheek.

Carlos blushed a little; James had never kissed him before in front of anyone else before. Logan and Kendall didn't give it a second thought; to them, James' and Carlos' relationship was perfectly natural and they thought they were rather a cute couple.

"So, how did you sleep last night?" Kendall asked, being polite.

"Pretty good." Carlos said; he always slept well when he was cuddled with James, "What are you fixing?"

"Bacon, eggs, and French toast." Kendall answered, "How do want your eggs?"

"Scrambled, as always." Carlos answered.

Five minutes later, they were all seated around the table in the nook in the corner, enjoying their breakfast. Carlos enjoyed his with chocolate syrup mixed in with everything, even his eggs. They all washed down their delicious breakfast with a tall glass of chocolate milk, which they discovered that Gustavo had an abundance of, just like his pudding. That was fine with them; aside from cola, chocolate milk was their favorite drink.

After breakfast, they enjoyed several hours of playing video games and swimming. While being their usual nosy selves, they discovered four super-soaker water guns in the pool house, a fact that they took great advantage of. Kendall, Carlos, an Logan found it to be very funny when James was squirted in the eye and tripped and fell in the pool(which James did not find very amusing). By that afternoon, they were all thoroughly tired from running around chasing each other and swimming, so they just kicked back in the living room and watched Star Wars. They watched Star Wars well into the night, all of them falling asleep in the process.

James didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he was suddenly awoken by a sudden jolt to his head. He was instantly awake and he saw that he'd fallen asleep sitting up, his head propped in his hand. He glanced around and saw everyone else asleep. He smiled when his gaze fell upon Carlos, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch, holding onto one of the cushions. James stood and walked over to him, having to step over Logan in the process.

"Carlos? Baby, you awake?" he asked softly, running a gentle hand through Carlos' hair.

Carlos mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over.

"You wanna go lay down upstairs?" James asked, knowing their bed would be much more comfortable than the couch.

Carlos sighed.

"Will you carry me?" he asked sleepily, not opening his eyes.

James smiled tenderly and easily lifted Carlos' smaller body into his arms. He carried him across the foyer and up the stairs to their large room. He silently closed the door with his foot and tip-toed his way over to the bed. Just before he reached it, Carlos mumbled in his sleep.

"James." he said.

"Yeah?" James asked.

"Guess what?" Carlos said, seeming to still be asleep.

"What?" James asked.

"Got ya!" Carlos said suddenly, opening his eyes and capturing James' lips in a kiss.

James was startled and nearly dropped him. Carlos pulled away, laughing.

"What was that all about?" James asked, still stunned from the sudden kiss.

"I tricked you." Carlos said, "I just wanted to get you upstairs."

"Oh?" James asked, intrigued, "And just what did you have in mind?"

"Lay me down and I'll show you." Carlos said.

James smiled and walked the rest of the way over to the bed, gently laying Carlos down onto its plush exterior. He immediately climbed atop him and kissed him deeply. Moaning, Carlos ran his fingers through James' perfect hair.

"I love you." Carlos moaned in between kisses.

James moaned in return and pulled Carlos' long-sleeved t-shirt over his head. Before he could do anything else, he suddenly found himself on his back, Carlos straddling his waist.

"I wanna be on top tonight." he said.

Deciding to be a little playful, James flipped Carlos back over, laying between his legs.

"I want to." he said, smirking.

Narrowing his eyes sneakily, Carlos tickled James around his sides(he knew James was particularly ticklish there) and flipped him back over.

"I win." he said triumphantly.

"You did not." James said.

"Did, too." Carlos said.

"Did not!" James argued.

"Did, too!" Carlos argued back.

"Did not!" James insisted.

"I did, too, you big baby!" Carlos said.

James sighed.

"You really wanna be on top?" James asked.

"Mm-hm." Carlos said.

"I'll thumb-wrestle you for it." James challenged.

"You're on." Carlos said, moving over off James.

James sat up and he and Carlos sat in front of each other, their legs crossed. They engaged each other in a not-so-competitive game of thumb-wrestling. Neither of them seemed determined to win; they just sat there, playfully twiddling their thumbs together.

"Tell me your greatest desires." James said.

"Tell _me_ a secret." Carlos replied.

James thought for a moment.

"Sometimes I dream in black-and-white." he said, "Your turn."

"I sometimes put chocolate milk on my cereal." Carlos said.

"I am deathly afraid of jellyfish." James said; he'd never told anyone else that before.

Carlos giggled.

"I used to pretend I was sick when I had a test in school." he said.

"We all did that." James said, "I sometimes like to study every detail of your beautiful face."

Carlos looked up at him; he wasn't expecting that.

"What color are my eyes?" Carlos asked, intrigued.

"When I look directly at you, they're brown; but when you're sad, they're hazel; and when you look into the sun, they almost look amber." James explained.

Touched by this, Carlos smiled. He leaned forward and kissed James intimately. James just stopped moving and responded, teasing his tongue at Carlos' lips. The kiss lasted several seconds before Carlos pulled away, his lips just a couple inches from James'.

"Guess what?" he said.

"What?" James asked.

"I win." Carlos said, smiling.

James looked down and saw that Carlos had his thumb securely pinned beneath his own; the kiss had thrown him off-guard and Carlos had taken the opportunity and swooped in for the kill.

"That's not fair." James said, "You play dirty."

"Oh, you have no idea." Carlos moaned seductively, "I believe the deal was that if I won, I got to be on top."

"That it was." James said.

Carlos giggled and sat back, eying James as if trying to decide how he should make his move.

"Take off your shirt." he said.

Playing along, James removed his black tank top.

"Lay down." Carlos commanded softly.

James smiled and complied. Carlos threw one leg astride James and straddled him triumphantly.

"You're mine now." he moaned, leaning down to passionately kiss James.

James responded and wrapped his arms around Carlos, pulling him in close. Their bare torsos touched and they moaned at the sweet contact. James ran his hands continuously up and down Carlos' smooth back, loving the feeling of his caramel flesh beneath his hands. Carlos moved his kisses downward from James' lips to his neck, lightly nibbling on his soft, warm flesh. James moaned and nuzzled Carlos' neck in return. He inhaled the scent of him. It wasn't any particular scent; he just smelled fresh and clean, like the first rainfall in spring. The smell was intoxicating. He loved it.

Carlos moved still downwards and he trailed his kisses over James' firm chest and toned abdomen. He was moving tantalizingly-slowly and it was driving James insane. Up until now, he had always been the dominant one; this new position put Carlos in charge and he loved it. By now, Carlos' kisses were teasing around the hem of James' loose pajama bottoms, which were growing more and more tight by the minute.

"Excited?" Carlos moaned into James' belly.

James moaned in response and squirmed beneath him.

"Please, Carlos, t-take them off." James gasped, referring to his tightening pajama bottoms.

"Patience." Carlos said.

James smirked; he was in the exact same position he'd had Carlos in just the night before. Carlos ceased his kisses and leaned up.

"What are you doing?" James asked.

Carlos didn't answer. He moved up slightly, positioning himself just right before he ground down hard with his hips. A groan erupted from James' throat and he threw his head back. Carlos repeated this motion as he, himself was enjoying the sweet friction it caused. With every thrust, he felt James hardening beneath him. He had him right where he wanted: writhing and helpless beneath him. Once he had James at his peak of hardness, he moved off him and quickly removed his pajama bottoms. He tossed the offending garment to the floor and quickly removed his own. Neither of them had been wearing underwear, which just made things easier.

"Do you have the lube up here?" Carlos asked, praying the answer would be yes; it would be rather awkward and frustrating to have to walk clear across the mansion with a hard-on to get the lube from the rec room where they had been last night.

"It's in my bag." James said, "In the side pocket."

Carlos breathed a small sigh of relief and retrieved the small container from James' green duffel bag in the corner. He walked back over to the bed and opened the container and got some of the white contents on his fingers. He straddled James again and smeared the lube thoroughly over his pulsating member. James moaned and thrust his hips upward into Carlos' hands. Once James was prepared, Carlos got some more of the lube on his fingers.

"Do you want to do it, or should I?" he asked, referring to who would be the one to prepare him.

"I want to watch you do it." James said.

Carlos raised and eyebrow; this could be interesting. He moved off James and lay down so that his head was near the foot of the bed; James could get a better 'view' like this. James sat up so he could watch. Carlos spread his legs wide apart and reached down to his opening. He spread the lube thoroughly around it before he pushed a single finger inside himself. He gasped softly and moved his finger in and out a bit before adding another. He soon added a third one, moaning in pleasure as he did. He glanced down and saw James was lightly stroking himself, clearly enjoying it.

"Mmm, this feels so gooood." Carlos moaned, drawing out the last word seductively.

"Let me help." James said scooting forward so he was kneeling between Carlos' legs.

He placed his hand to Carlos' and gave a gentle push, bringing the fingers in deeper.

"That's it." James moaned, "Just push them in."

Carlos sighed in obvious pleasure.

"Carlos, can I try something?" James asked softly.

Carlos looked down questioningly. What did James have in mind? James looked at him trustingly and hopefully. Carlos hesitantly nodded, wondering what was about to happen.

"Just relax." James whispered, pushing one of his fingers inside Carlos along with the three Carlos had in.

Carlos gasped.

"Easy." James comforted, lightly stroking Carlos' inner thigh with his free hand.

It didn't exactly hurt; it was just new and slightly uncomfortable. Carlos willed himself to relax and his inner muscles encompassed their fingers soothingly. It actually felt good now. Four fingers. That was alot. But not too many. James twisted his finger around inside Carlos and pushed Carlos' own fingers upward, pressing them against his sweet spot. This drew a loud moan from Carlos.

"Are you ready for me?" James asked, thinking Carlos was rather well prepared.

Carlos nodded and pulled his fingers out of himself. James lay back and let Carlos straddle him again.

"Ready?" Carlos asked.

"Only if you are." James said, taking Carlos' hands in his and gently intertwining their fingers.

Carlos found this to be very sweet and sensual and he smiled trustingly down at his lover. He leaned up and positioned himself above James' member. He inhaled deeply and slowly slid himself down onto James, exhaling slowly as he did. James slid in without any resistance and the both of them moaned in pleasure. Carlos rested his hips against James', just enjoying the feeling of being filled by him so perfectly. It was the best feeling in the world(except, of course, for the orgasm which was to soon follow).

"Ready?" Carlos asked again.

"Oh, Carlos..." James moaned, "...make love to me."

Smiling, Carlos raised up slowly so that only the head of James' member was left inside of him before slamming himself back down. They cried out softly and Carlos repeated his motion. He soon found out a gentle rhythm of thrusting that they found to be very arousing. The only sounds that filled the room were their constant moans ans sighs of intense pleasure. Carlos loved this new position. It allowed James to push deeper inside of him and he was able to control the speed and depth of the thrusting. It was just magical. With each thrust, powerful pleasure sensations pulsed through them. James arched his back and gripped Carlos' thighs firmly. There would surely be bruises there in the morning. Carlos opened his eyes and glanced down at James. He found it very arousing to watch the contortions of James' face as he writhed in pleasure beneath him, trying to thrust up into him as best he could.

"Mmm, you like that?" Carlos moaned sensually.

"Oh, Carlos...mmm, you're so good." James moaned, "So tight...and warm."

Carlos smiled and leaned down slightly so he was supporting himself on his hands on either side of James' shoulders. This allowed him to thrust at a new angle and he cried out softly when his sweet spot was hit.

"Oh, James..." he moaned in ecstasy, his muscles tightening around James.

James knew Carlos was close to coming; he could hear it in his voice.

"H-hold it in...as long as you can..." James gasped, "I want this to last...as long as possible."

Carlos nodded and forced himself to hold back his immanent release. This went on for what seemed like forever, but it was only about four or five minutes. By then, Carlos was literally crying out with the pleasure and the pain of trying to hold back his release. James held his hands tightly but gently.

"J-James! Oh, James, please!" Carlos cried, "I need to come! Please!"

"Come with me, Carlos." James groaned, "Come with me."

James shifted his hips, thrusting up hard into Carlos and succeeding in hitting his sweet spot dead-on. Carlos cried out desperately at the incredible burst of pleasure that jolted his body. He and James had made love several times before, but it was never this intense. This was pure ecstasy. James thrust again like this and groaned loudly when Carlos' inner muscles seized around him. Tears of pure ecstasy slid down Carlos' face; all he needed was one more thrust like that and he would come. James gripped Carlos' thighs and thrust hard one more time. This time, it was all too much and they both came powerfully, practically screaming out in ecstasy.

Carlos impaled himself on James repeatedly, riding out the last waves of his orgasm. Finally, the shockwaves ebbed away and he collapsed atop James, gasping as if he'd just run a hundred miles. James held him gently, also gasping wildly. Their bodies were slick and their skin was hot. It took several minutes for them to regain their breath, and when they did, Carlos rolled over off James, laying beside him. James rolled onto his side, facing Carlos and he pulled their bodies close.

"That was incredible." James gasped.

Carlos nodded and lay his head on James' shoulder.

"I love you so much." Carlos moaned, "I never want to let you go."

"You don't have to." James whispered, "I'll never leave you."

* * *

_It was dark out and he could hear the sounds of the city: traffic, car horns, people yelling occasionally. He opened his eyes and he saw that he was in what looked like a park. The park was illuminated by several bright security lights. His surroundings look familiar; he'd been here before. He and his friends came here sometimes to relax. But...why was he here now? What was going on? He looked around and saw no one around; he park was completely empty. Except for...what that James? It was! _

_"James!" Carlos called, running towards him._

_James was walking down a nearby walking path...and he seemed to be ignoring him. _

_"James!" Carlos called again; he was about ten feet away from him, surely he could hear him._

_James just walked past him like he wasn't even there. What the hell was going on? Deciding to try and sort things out, Carlos followed James down the narrow, concrete trail to the entrance to the instead of exiting the park, James stepped off the trail and walked over to a small, wooded area near the road. He stopped beside a thick-trunked tree and bent down to pick something up. It looked like a pair of silver-rimmed sunglasses. James straightened and was about to walk away when a loud screeching noise sliced through the silence. Carlos' head whipped to the side and he saw a speeding car screeching down the road out of control. Suddenly, the car jumped the curb and was careening straight for...James! _

_"James! Get out of the way! Move, Please!" Carlos screamed, but James couldn't hear him. _

_James turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the car, but he couldn't move in time. Time seemed to go in slow-motion as the car rammed straight into James, pinning him between it and the tree. _

_"JAMES!" Carlos screamed._

"Carlos! Carlos, wake up!"

His eyes shot open and they darted around, trying to focus on something, anything. His heart was racing a million miles an hour and sweat poured from every pore on his body. His eyes stung with tears and he could feel them streaming down his hot cheeks.

"Carlos, can you hear me?" a concerned voice asked.

Carlos' eyes finally focused on something. He could see the worried face of James hovering over him. At first, he couldn't believe it; James had been hit by the car...hadn't he?

"James?" Carlos asked in a small, pitiful voice.

"It's okay. I'm here." James comforted, gently stroking the tears from Carlos' cheeks.

"James?" Carlos asked again, still unsure of what he was seeing.

"You're okay. I'm here." James whispered.

"Oh, James!" Carlos cried, reaching up and latching his arms around James' neck.

Tears flowed in tiny rivers down Carlos' cheeks and he pressed his face into James' shoulder, holding onto him for dear life. James wrapped his arms around him and held him gently.

"Shhh, shhh." he cooed, "It's okay. I've got you."

They sat there for several minutes, not saying anything. Carlos continued to cry into James' shoulder, and James held him comfortingly, gently rubbing his back. It took about fifteen minutes for Carlos to calm down enough to talk. James gently pulled him away and wiped away the tears that streamed down his cheeks.

"What happened, baby?" he asked softly.

"I h-hand a n-nightmare." Carlos sniffled, "It was so awful."

"You wanna talk about it?" James asked tenderly, stroking Carlos' mussed hair.

"Do we have to?" Carlos asked.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." James said.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." Carlos said.

"That's okay." James said, "Whenever you do want to talk about it, I'm here."

Carlos nodded, "Will you hold me?"

"Of course." James whispered, pulling Carlos close to him.

They sat there in silence for hours that seemed to stretch on forever...

**A/N: **Wondering what the nightmare means? Are you? Huh? Well...I'm not telling! You're just going to have to wait and find out! Hehehehe! I have set the stage for something big that's going to happen in a future chappy. And I'm not telling! *rubs hands together evilly* Hehehehehe! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D


	8. First Date

Hi, everyone! I'm sooooooo sorry it took so long to update. I've been oober-busy these past few days. My mom and me have been painting and re-arranging my room, which has taken longer than I thought it would. Again, I'm sorry it took so long to update! I promise to make this a really good chappy to make up for it! :D

**Chapter 8: First Date**

The next day, Gustavo and Kelly came back from their business trip and relieved the guys of their mansion-sitting duties. Although the guys loved the mansion-sitting, they were grateful to be back in their townhouse apartment. That same day that they came home, they all took a nice, long nap to 'recooperate' from their three days of active fun. And, of course, Carlos was thrilled to finally see his fish again. He spent a good hour sitting in front of the aquarium, watching his little fishies swimming about happily in their watery home.

Later on, that afternoon was when Carlos awoke from his restful nap. He rolled over in the soft, comfy bed to see James laying beside him, smiling.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head." he said.

Carlos smiled and rubbed his eyes. Once he was thoroughly awake, he snuggled up to James, who brought the covers up over them. They settled against James' pillow, just enjoying being close to one another. It was simple, intimate moments like this that they most enjoyed in their relationship. Carlos lay his head against James' shoulder and let his eyes drift closed. When James held him like this, so gentle and close, he felt completely safe and so loved. James slipped his hand underneath Carlos' t-shirt and lightly massaged his lower back soothingly.

"I love you so much." Carlos sighed.

"I love you, too." James said, placing a kiss to Carlos' forehead.

"I'll love you forever." Carlos said, "Even when we're, like, ninety years old and have to help each other just get around, I'll still love you."

James smiled and pulled Carlos closer.

"I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me." he whispered.

"Well, you inspire me." Carlos said.

"What?" James asked.

"You inspire me." Carlos repeated, "When I'm around you, I think of so many sweet things I want to say to you, but I hardly ever get a chance to because we're usually busy all the time."

"Well, we're not busy now." James commented, "Inspired?"

He felt Carlos smile against him. There was a short pause.

"Your eyes are like the ocean and I'm lost at sea." Carlos said.

"My eyes are brown." James said.

"I know. In my world, the ocean is brown because your eyes are." Carlos said.

James giggled.

"You're so sweet." he said.

They lay there for several more minutes, in sweet, blissful silence. Carlos was lulled by James' steady breathing and he was almost asleep again when James spoke up.

"You know, Carlos, we've been together for almost a month now and there's still one thing we haven't done." he said.

"What?" Carlos asked.

"We haven't been on a date." James said.

"You're right. We haven't." Carlos said.

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" James asked.

"Of course." Carlos said, "Where to?"

There was a momentary silence while James thought.

"You know that nice little cafe down the street from the recording studio?" he said.

"The one that Gustavo says has the biggest slices of pizza in town?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, that one." James said, "Wanna go there?"

"Sounds great." Carlos said, "When?"

"Tomorrow good?" James asked.

"Sure." Carlos said, smiling up at him.

James placed a soft kiss to his lips and held him in his warm embrace. Carlos lay against him and closed his eyes, greatly anticipating tomorrow. Their first date.

* * *

The next day came and Carlos was so excited. All during rehearsal, he could barely focus on the songs, but he managed. Their lunch hour came, and he and James slipped away and walked down the street to the nice little cafe Gustavo always raved about. The cafe was quaint and had a relaxed atmosphere to it. Several tables with striped umbrellas for shade were situated in front of the cafe, and there were a few blooming flower bushes around the edges of the outdoor area.

"This looks nice." Carlos commented as they approached the cafe.

They walked into the outdoor area and Carlos seated himself at one of the empty, round tables.

"What topping do you want on your pizza?" James asked.

"Sausage." Carlos answered.

" 'Kay. I'll be right back." James said, placing a light kiss to Carlos' forehead.

Carlos waited at their table a few minutes until James walked back over, carrying two paper plates with a thick slice of pizza on each and a yellow, paper cup.

"What's that?" Carlos asked, nodding towards the cup.

"I got us a chocolate milkshake to share." James said, unwrapping two straws and sticking them in either side of the cup.

James sat down opposite Carlos and they enjoyed their pizza. Gustavo was right; this was the best pizza in town. The pizza was delicious, but it wasn't all greasy and messy like most pizza you could get. And the milkshake was creamy-chocolate-perfection.

"So, how do you like our first date so far?" James asked, swallowing a bite of pizza.

"It's really nice." Carlos said, "Anything I'm doing with you is nice."

"Anything?" James asked.

"Yeah. Whether it's taking a walk or watching TV or just cuddling." Carlos said, "It's all nice. It's all perfect."

James smiled and watched as Carlos took a sip of their milkshake. Sometimes, he just couldn't get over how cute Carlos was. He had a certain aura about him that just radiated happiness. Whether it was his gorgeous smile or the way his eyes sparkled in the sunlight, Carlos was more than just cute; he was beautiful.

"What are you staring at?" Carlos asked, noticing James was smiling and staring at him.

"The most beautiful guy on the face of the earth." James said.

Carlos blushed and cast his eyes downward.

"Thank you." he said.

They finished the rest of their pizza, which thoroughly filled them up.

"I don't think I could eat another bite." Carlos said, leaning back from his empty plate.

"It was good, wasn't it?" James asked, swallowing his last bite of pizza.

"The best." Carlos said.

"You wanna go for a walk in the park?" James asked, motioning to the large park across the road.

"Don't we have to get back to rehearsal?" Carlos asked.

"We've got, like, half an hour left in our lunch break." James said.

He didn't know if that was exactly how long they had; anyway, Kendall and Logan would come looking for them if they were late.

"Okay." Carlos said, standing from his seat, picking up the half-empty milkshake cup as he did.

James also stood and he walked around the table and wrapped his arm loosely around Carlos' back. They crossed the road and entered the park. This park was familiar to them; the four of them frequently came here to relax or take a walk(or to play on the monkey-bars at the playground). Their walk was very pleasant; the air was crisp and slightly cool, and the smell of freshly-cut grass surrounded them. The park was sparsely crowded; the occasional joggers or bird-watchers were mostly all they saw. They walked down a narrow, concrete path to the relatively-large playground, which was, of course, filled with children playing happily. As they neared the playground, an idea popped into James' head.

"Want me to push you on the swing?" he asked, noticing the swing for the older kids was empty.

"Are you serious?" Carlos asked, thinking James was joking.

"Yeah." James said, "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Okay." Carlos said.

They entered the playground, walking across the thick layer of wood chips that covered the ground. They reached the swing and Carlos seated himself comfortably in one of the sturdy swings.

"You ready?" James asked, standing behind him.

Carlos nodded and held on tight to the chains that secured the swing to the bar several feet overhead. James grabbed onto the chains and pulled Carlos back as far as he could before releasing him. Carlos felt himself flying through the air swiftly and it gave him a pleasant rush that he remembered from childhood when the four of them would push each other on the swings in the park back in Minnesota. He came to a split-second stop in mid-air before he swung back to be pushed forward again by James.

"Having fun?" James asked.

"Yeah!" Carlos said, giggling with child-like mirth.

"Wanna go higher?" James asked.

"Yes!" Carlos said.

James pushed him harder, sending him flying through the air faster than before. Carlos laughed, clearly having fun. This delighted James and he continued to push him. Carlos enjoyed this for several more minutes before he unconsciously glanced to his right. What he saw sent chills up his spine. There, several feet away near the exit to the park was a tree. But not just any tree; it was the tree from his nightmare. It was the same tree he'd seen James killed against in his nightmare. It was real?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he felt himself come to a sudden and unpleasant stop. His body received a rough, hard jolt and he felt the rough wood chips digging into the side of his face. He felt his breath knocked out of him and he was dazed for a few seconds.

"Carlos!" James cried, running over to him.

He didn't know what happened; one minute he was pushing Carlos on the swing, and the next minute, Carlos was landing with a dull but sickening thud on the ground.

"Are you all right?" James asked, falling on his knees beside his friend.

Carlos blinked several times and gasped as his breath returned to him. He felt a pair of strong, gentle arms wrapping around him and slowly lifting him up. He sat up and saw James kneeling beside him, a look of extreme worry on his face.

"Are you okay?" James asked, trying to calm himself.

"I...I think so." Carlos said, doing a quick 'check-up' of himself.

"What happened?" James asked, "Why did you let go of the swing?"

"I don't know. My hand must've slipped." Carlos said, not wanting to discuss his nightmare.

James still seemed concerned as he brushed the wood chips out of Carlos' hair.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked, "You hit pretty hard."

"I'm fine." Carlos said, "I just got the breath knocked out of me."

"You're bleeding!" James gasped, noticing a thin trail of blood stemming from under Carlos' left eye.

Carlos reached up and inspected the injury with his finger.

"It's just a scratch." he said, "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Here. Let me see." James said, taking a tissue out of his pocket.

He carefully wiped away the blood and saw that the wound was really just a little scrape. Nothing serious.

"I'm probably going to have a big bruise on my chest tomorrow." Carlos said, noticing a dull pain throughout his torso.

"You sure you don't have a broken rib or something?" James asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Carlos reassured him.

James pulled the tissue away from Carlos' scrape and looked at it.

"What's the diagnosis, Dr. James?" Carlos asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You'll live." James said, "But I have one medicine to give you."

"And what would that be?" Carlos asked.

"This." James said, placing a light kiss to the scrape.

Carlos' smiled at James' tenderness, but the smile quickly faded when a sudden loud voice sliced through their moment.

"Hey! This is a playground for children!" an obnoxious woman yelled from a few feet away, "Why don't you fags take your sick ways somewhere else?"

Casting the woman an angry glance, James placed an arm protectively around Carlos' shoulders.

"Come on, baby." he said, helping Carlos to stand.

Turning away from the woman, Carlos stood close against James and they walked away, stopping at a bench several feet away.

"I'm sorry that had to happen on our first date." James said as he an Carlos sat down.

"It's okay." Carlos said, "It wasn't your fault. We just have to be careful in public, I guess. People can be so cruel if you're the least bit different."

They sat for several more minutes in silence before Carlos spoke again.

"James, can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure." James said, "What is it?"

"Are you...ashamed of me?" Carlos asked.

"What?" James asked, shocked by this.

"I mean, that back there when that woman yelled at us...it seemed like everyone was looking at us and that must've embarrassed you, right? Are you ashamed of me for that?"

James was stunned by this. For a minute, he couldn't find his voice.

"Carlos, I'm not ashamed of you. I love you so much." he said, "I don't care what anyone else thinks. I could never be ashamed of you. In fact, I'm proud to have such a beautiful, caring boyfriend like you."

"You are?" Carlos asked, touched by this.

"Yes. And there's nothing in the world that could ever make me stop loving you." James said, giving Carlos' shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

Carlos smiled and wrapped his arms around James, laying his head on his shoulder. James placed a kiss to the top of Carlos' head.

"I love you." he whispered.

They sat there for several more minutes, just holding each other close before they were broken out of their thoughts by a familiar voice.

"Guys, do you know what time it is?" a voice said, approaching them.

It was Kendall. They looked up and saw Logan and Kendall standing there.

"Gustavo sent us to look for you." Kendall said, "You're twenty minutes late for rehearsal."

"Sorry." James said, "We lost track of time."

"What happened to your eye?" Logan asked, noticing the red scrape below Carlos' eye.

"I fell off the swing." Carlos said, a pitiful look in his eyes.

James couldn't help but smile at how adorable this was.

"You fell off the swing?" Kendall asked, "How old are you? Two?"

Carlos stuck his tongue out at him.

"Did you disinfect it?" Logan asked.

"What?" Carlos asked.

"Your scrape. Did you disinfect it?" Logan said.

"No." Carlos said, a hint of 'duh' in his voice.

"Here. Let me see." Logan said taking a small packet out of his pocket and kneeling down in front of Carlos.

"What's that?" Carlos asked as Logan opened the packet.

"It's a Neosporin wipe." Logan said, "Hold still."

Carlos felt a sharp sting as Logan thoroughly rubbed the wipe across his scrape.

"Ow! Enough, okay?" Carlos said, slapping Logan's hand away.

"I'm just trying to help." Logan said.

"I know, but you don't have to wipe it so hard." Carlos said, covering his scrape with his hand, "That stung!"

"Sorry." Logan said, "But you'll thank me later when you don't get an infection."

"Hello!" Kendall said to get their attention, "Could we get back to rehearsal before Gustavo sends us back to Minnesota?"

They all rolled their eyes and made their way back to the recording studio. Most of the rest of the day was filled with singing, dancing, and being yelled at by Gustavo. But, they were used to it by now and didn't give it much thought. That evening, Mrs. Knight picked them up from the recording studio and took them to their townhouse apartment where they had a tasty dinner of fish sticks and tater tots. Later that evening, the apartment was mostly quiet. Mrs. Knight was preoccupied with reading one of her harlequin romance novels, Katie was watching TV in her room, and Kendall and Logan were playing video games in their room. As for James and Carlos, they were enjoying a nice bowl of ice cream in the living room. While enjoying their ice cream, they watched a Scooby-Doo cartoon.

They sat in the floor at the coffee table, Carlos leaned against the couch, James leaned against the love seat. James' ice cream was vanilla, Carlos' was cookies-n-cream; their favorite flavors. As James gulped down another bite of his delicious ice cream, he glanced over at Carlos and noticed a smear of ice cream on his cheek. He was a bout to tell him about it, but an idea popped into his head. James smiled and scooted over to sit close to Carlos.

"What are you doing?" Carlos asked.

"You've got ice cream on your cheek." James said.

Carlos was about to reach up and wipe it off, but James stopped him.

"Let me get it." he said.

James wrapped an arm around Carlos' shoulders and leaned in and kissed the spot where the ice cream was smeared. Carlos smiled as he felt James lightly suck on the skin, licking away the ice cream. James pulled away and gave Carlos' shoulder a little squeeze. Carlos smiled and dipped his finger into his milky bowl of ice cream. He smeared it on James' chin just below his lips.

"You've got some, too." he said.

"And what do you suppose we do about this?" James asked playfully.

"How about this?" Carlos said, leaning forward.

He kissed away the smear of ice cream and moved slightly upward and kissed James full on the mouth. James responded and pulled Carlos against him. Carlos' eyes fluttered and he parted his lips and allowed James' tongue to slide past them. They both moaned softly and pulled away, gazing into each others eyes.

"Take it in the other room, guys; you're gonna melt the ice cream." a voice said.

The looked up and saw Katie standing in the doorway. Smiling, she walked off. But she popped her head back in the room a second later.

"You guys are a cute couple, by the way." she said, walking off.

**A/N: **Hope you like it! Again, I'm really really sorry it took so long to update! **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	9. Singing in the Shower

Hehehe! Another steamy chapter! :D ;)

**Chapter 9: Singing in the Shower**

It was a regular Friday afternoon in the apartment. Everyone had been home from school for a couple hours and they were going about their daily activities. Kendall and Katie were sitting in the living room engaged in a game of Monopoly, Logan was diligently doing his math homework in his room, and Mrs. Knight was reading her new issue of Cosmopolitan. Meanwhile, James was in his room, reclining on his bed and reading the latest issue of Man Fashion. Carlos was in the bathroom, taking a shower.

James was absorbed in reading an article about some new Cudo products when he found himself suddenly distracted. The door to the bathroom was open and he could hear Carlos singing. He was singing the lyrics to their song 'Half Way There'. He sounded like an angel when he sang by himself. James lay his magazine in his lap and concentrated on listening to Carlos' singing. A smile crossed his face as he listened. Then, an image came to his mind. An image of Carlos standing naked in the shower, the water cascading down his caramel body, the foamy-white soap suds slowly gilding down his skin. He pictured him sliding his hands down his body, his head tilted back and his eyes closed as he washed away the sweat and tenseness of the day. At this image, James felt his jeans tighten and he knew only one thing could 'cure' it. But he couldn't. Not in the shower. Could he?

James set his magazine aside and stood from the bed he and Carlos shared. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the steamy bathroom and silently closed the door. Quickly but quietly, he stripped himself of his clothes and piled them in a heap in the corner. He walked over to the shower and pulled aside the curtain slightly and slipped inside. Carlos had his back to him. When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Wh-what are you doing in here?" Carlos asked, almost having to peel himself off the ceiling.

James didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and pulled Carlos into a passionate kiss. Carlos gasped as their lip connected. He felt James' hands sliding down his back to gently grip his hips. Just as soon as the kiss started, it stopped, leaving Carlos breathless and confused.

"I heard you singing." James whispered, brushing a strand of wet hair from Carlos' face.

Carlos blushed.

"I didn't know anyone could hear me." he said, "Sorry."

"Oh, no, I enjoyed it." James said, "I enjoyed it so much that I pictured you in the shower...all naked and wet...and I thought it was so hot."

Carlos smiled. James reached over to the small, white shelf hanging from the shower head and retrieved the blue scrubbie and the bar of soap.

"Let me do this." he whispered, lathering the scrubbie thoroughly with the vanilla-scented soap.

Carlos stood still, but he was relaxed. Normally, being stalked in the shower would have made someone uncomfortable, but Carlos felt completely relaxed and rather curious as to what this would lead to. James set the soap aside and slowly ran the scrubbie over Carlos' shoulders and chest. He moaned softly as he watched the white foam glide down Carlos' lightly-toned torso. The suds were touching Carlos in places he wanted to. They slid downward to finally drip from his thick member.

"You're so beautiful like this." James moaned, "Turn around."

Carlos complied and turned so his back was facing James. For a second, James just admired him. Then, he held the scrubbie at the base of Carlos' neck and squeezed it, letting the suds slide down the smooth expanse of his back. He felt himself swell when the soapy foam reached Carlos' hips, gliding over them and sliding into his inner crevasse...

James dropped the scrubbie to the floor and placed his hands on either side of Carlos' hips. He pulled him gently against him, pressing his growing member into his hips.

"I love you." James moaned into Carlos' ear.

Upon hearing the passion and need dripping from James' voice, Carlos felt himself slowly becoming excited. James placed a kiss to the side of Carlos' neck, slowly moving down to nibble on his shoulder. Carlos sighed in obvious pleasure and tilted his head back, giving James better access to his neck. James moved his hands around from Carlos' hips to gently caress his abdomen, which was smooth and slick with water. With each passing minute, Carlos could feel James growing more and more aroused against him.

When he could stand it no more, James turned Carlos around and switched their positions so Carlos had his back to the wall and the water from the shower was cascading down James' back. He pushed Carlos against the wall and crushed their lips together. This drew a moan from Carlos, who reached his hands up to run his fingers through James' soaking wet hair. A jolt of pleasure shot through him when he felt their hardened members pressed together. James moved their bodies together, creating sweet friction. He moaned loudly and moved his kisses down to Carlos' neck. Carlos' soft skin was just so appetizing that he couldn't help but ravish that smooth neck.

"Oh, James..." Carlos gasped, clawing at James' shoulders.

"Do you want me, Carlos?" James moaned into his neck, "Do you want it?"

Carlos tried to reply, but his voice seemed to be caught in his throat. Not hearing a reply, James leaned up slightly to look him in the eyes.

"What's the matter, Carlos?" he asked seductively, "Cat got your tongue?"

A whimper escaped Carlos' lips when James gave his member a firm but gentle stroke.

"What do you want me to do?" James whispered.

"Mmm, inside me...I want to feel your big dick inside me, pounding my hole...I want to feel your cum inside me...make me wet, James..." Carlos moaned in desire.

James gulped at Carlos' forwardness, his erection becoming unbearably hard.

"Mmm, you're the dirty-dirty-talk-master-of-dirty-talk." James moaned.

"You said 'dirty' three times." Carlos commented.

"I know." James moaned, leaning in to ravish his neck once more.

Carlos moaned loudly and thrust up into James' hand, longing for more.

"Please, James...I need you inside me...please...I need it..." Carlos whimpered.

James found Carlos' insatiable appetite for him to be incredibly arousing and he, too, felt that need throbbing in his member. He reached down behind Carlos and lifted him up easily.

"Straddle me." he said.

Carlos complied and wrapped his legs securely around James' waist.

"Carlos..." James moaned, "...I have to have you now. I can't go slow or easy, but I promise...I promise that later I will make love to you all night long. But I have to take you now. I can't stand it."

Carlos moaned at the passion dripping from James' voice and he nodded, trying to will his body to relax as much as possible. James wasted no time in shoving his aching member deep inside his willing lover. Carlos couldn't help but let out a small yelp of pain as James' thick member entered him. James paused for a moment to allow Carlos' body to relax before he began to thrust hard in and out of him. Carlos gasped in ecstasy and arched his back. The arching of his back allowed James to push in deeper, which was amazing. Soon, his body relaxed and the slick water cascading down their bodies provided a sufficient lubricant for them.

James gripped the backs of Carlos' thighs, his abs flexing sexily to hold him up. Their bodies slid together heatedly as the warm water cascaded down their toned bodies. The sounds of their gasps and moans filled the room(and sufficiently steamed up the mirror). Carlos cursed under his breath as James slammed his member repeatedly into him, bringing them closer and closer with each passing moment. Oh, they were so close. They just knew it.

"James!" Carlos gasped, "Oh, James...I think...I'm gonna come..."

"D-don't hold back." James moaned, "I want to hear you."

It wasn't a minute later that thy were seized powerfully by their release. Carlos bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood as he fought not to scream(for the sole purpose of not alerting anyone to their 'activities').

If there was one expression that got under James' skin, it was the look of euphoria that washed over Carlos' face when he reached his orgasm. It was probably the most beautiful thing in the entire world and James loved the fact that he was the only one to ever see it. Not even Carlos could see it; it was a private joy reserved just for him.

Carlos' facial features all contorted into ecstasy. His lips trembled and his eyes fluttered, a pitiful whimper escaping his lips. Seeing his look of ecstasy, James slackened his hold on Carlos a bit and allowed gravity to push him down hard onto him. He still thrusted, but his thrusts were feverish and almost spasm-like, as he, too, was experiencing his own orgasm. He buried his face in Carlos' shoulder to muffle his screams as he released powerfully inside his lover. Carlos moaned loudly as he felt James' white-hot seed flood his insides. It was the second most wonderful feeling in the world(their orgasm being the first).

Almost as soon as it started, their orgasm stopped, leaving them weak and breathless. His muscles feeling like jello, James let himself slowly sink to the floor, bringing Carlos with him. He sunk to his knees and managed to keep himself inside Carlos, who sunk down to straddle him.

"That was..." James gasped.

"...incredible." Carlos finished.

They sat there for several minutes, trying to regain their breath, but were suddenly stunned by a sudden burst of cold. The shower had run out of hot water. They cried out in surprise and scrambled to get out of the shower. Once out, James reached over and turned off the water.

"That was a rude awakening." he commented, turning around.

He turned to see Carlos, a towel wrapped around his waist, and leaning against the counter, gasping. Carlos reached up and wiped the 'fog' from the mirror. He suddenly felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him from behind. He relaxed into James' embrace. James' hands wander down and gently undid his towel, letting it fall to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Carlos asked.

"I want to look at us." James said, wrapping his arms around Carlos' waist.

He rested his chin on Carlos' shoulder and gazed at them in the mirror.

"Look at us, Carlos." he said, "It's so perfect."

Carlos looked in the mirror and was surprised by how much arousal he felt from it. James' hands gently caressed his body and he placed soft kisses to Carlos' neck and shoulders. James slid a hand between them and lightly fingered Carlos' wet center. Carlos gasped when he felt James slip a finger inside him.

"Do you like this, Carlos? Do you like watching me touch you?" James asked in a low, intimate voice.

"Yes." Carlos managed to gasp out as James slowly moved his finger in and out of him.

He gripped the counter in front of him, afraid his legs would give out at any second.

"Do you want to watch me take you, Carlos?" James whispered into his ear, "Do you want me to take you from behind so you can watch us?"

Carlos didn't trust his voice so he just leaned forward, supporting himself on his elbows on the counter. He spread his legs wide, making his entrance available to James, who stood fully aroused behind him. This time, James took it slow, the way it should be done. He gripped Carlos' hips and positioned the tip of his hard shaft at his entrance. He slowly pushed forward, making Carlos gasp in pleasure. This new position allowed James to penetrate Carlos at a whole new angle and he went much deeper inside of him. Carlos groaned as James sheathed himself very deeply inside his hot core. Both boys moaned as James began thrusting. Carlos whimpered with need and pushed his hips back onto his pounding lover behind him. Carlos looked into the mirror and felt a pang of fire shoot through him and land hot and hard between his legs as he watched James thrusting into him. Their eyes met and Carlos saw nothing but utter and complete passion and need in James' beautiful brown eyes. Carlos felt James speed up his thrusts as their passion increased. Carlos was still super-sensitive from their previous encounter in the shower and he felt the heat beginning to building in the pit of his stomach. He gasped harshly and whimpered with unbearable need as James pounded his erection deep and hard inside him. The heat mounted and mounted and Carlos cried out and arched his back, allowing James to pull deeper inside him. Carlos collapsed on the counter, gasping. James gave three more powerful thrusts before he, too, came and spilled his hot seed inside Carlos. After James pulled out of him, Carlos turned and fell into James' arms. They stood there for what seemed like forever, just holding one another, neither of them willing to let go. Carlos sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head lightly on James' firm chest. James gently stroked Carlos' back and just held him in his arms...he wished this beautiful moment would never end.

* * *

"Great news, guys!" Mrs. Knight said, stepping into the living room where everyone was gathered watching TV, "Our apartment is fixed and we can move back in tomorrow!"

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief; they missed their apartment so much!

The rest of the day was occupied by everyone busily packing their things. Needless to say, everything was rather hectic and up-in-the-air. Everyone was so excited to finally be moving back to their beloved apartment at the Palm Woods.

In the room that James and Carlos shared, Kendal was there helping James pack. Kendall was gathering their video games and stacking them neatly in a cardboard box, while James busied himself with packing his clothes in his large, blue duffel bag on the bed.

"Is something bothering you?" Kendall asked, noticing that James had been rather quiet most of the evening and he seemed distracted by something.

"Kinda." James said, stuffing a pair of jeans in his bag.

"Is it anything I can help with?" Kendall asked.

"Um...maybe." James said, "You see, I've been trying o think of something really special to do for Carlos and I just can't seem to think of anything. Got any ideas?"

"Like, something romantic?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah." James said.

There was a momentary silence while Kendall thought.

"You could fix a romantic dinner for him." he suggested.

"That sounds good, but..." James said, "...the only thing I know how to fix are Hot Pockets."

Kendall laughed.

"Don't worry; I'll help you." he said, "My mom taught me how to cook when I was, like, nine."

* * *

The entire apartment was filled with the sumptuous smell of home-made spaghetti sauce cooking. Kendall and James busied themselves in the kitchen, while Logan graciously agreed to keep Carlos occupied at the pool(which wasn't hard) so everything would be a surprise. Kendall explained the situation to his mom, who agreed to take everyone to a movie so James and Carlos could be alone.

"This smells great." James said, taking in a big whiff of the barely-bubbling sauce in the pot on the stove.

"It's my mom's recipe." Kendall said, stirring the noodles.

Glancing around to make sure Kendall wasn't looking, James decided to sneak a taste of the spaghetti sauce. He discreetly lifted the lid and stuck his finger in. But he withdrew it quickly, sending a small splatter of sauce back on the refrigerator.

"OW! OW! OW!" he said, gripping his hand in 'agony'.

"What did you do?" Kendall asked, looking at him with a look of concern/questioning.

"I just wanted a taste." James said pitifully.

"You idiot, come here." Kendall said, leading him over to the sink.

He ran some cold water on James' burned finger, soothing it almost immediately.

"I can't believe you did that." Kendall said.

"I didn't know it would be that hot." James said.

"It's bubbling, Captain Obvious, of course it's hot!" Kendall said in disbelief.

James just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What happened in here?" Katie asked, entering the room and noticing the splatter of spaghetti sauce on the fridge.

"James tried to sample the _boiling_ spaghetti sauce and burned his finger." Kendall explained, turning off the water.

James turned around, cradling his poor little finger in his other hand.

"Seriously, how stupid can you be?" Katie asked sarcastically.

James blew her a raspberry and irritatedly ripped a paper towel off the roll and turned to clean the sauce off the fridge.

"This should be done in just a few minutes." Kendall said, stirring the sauce.

Just then, Mrs. Knight stepped into the room, sorting through her purse for her car keys.

"Will someone either go down to the pool or call Logan and tell him he needs to come up here and get ready." she said, "The movie starts in fifteen minutes."

"I'll do it." Katie volunteered, picking up the phone.

After the noodles were done, Kendall strained them and set them back on the stove. Then, he went to his room to get ready to go to the movie. James got two plates out of the cabinet and helped them with some of the spaghetti he and Kendall had just made. He set them on the dining table just as everyone came into the room.

"Is Carlos still down at the pool?" James asked Logan.

"Yeah. He's preoccupied with reading his hockey magazine." Logan answered.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Mrs. Knight asked, looking at her watch.

She ushered everyone to the door.

"Good luck." Kendall said to James before closing the door.

The door closed and James breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and scanned the apartment, making sure everything was perfect. The spaghetti was on the table, and in the living area, he had moved aside the coffee table and fixed a comfy little pallet on the floor in front of the TV. He had rented a movie on Pay Per View for him and Carlos to watch. Everything was perfect. Taking a deep breath, he took his phone from his pocket and dialed Carlos' number. It rang two times before Carlos answered.

_"Hello?" _

"Hey, babe, whatcha doing?" James asked.

_"Just reading my hockey magazine." _Carlos said, _"You?" _

"Um...do you think you could come up here right now? I have a surprise for you." James said.

_"Really? What is it?" _Carlos asked, sounding excited.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" James said.

_"I'll be up there in a sec." _Carlos said, hanging up.

A minute later, Carlos entered the apartment wearing his swim trunks and a blue tank top. He saw James sitting at the dining table and beside him were two square plates of spaghetti. He glanced beyond him and saw the cozy little pallet area made up in the living room.

"What's all this?" he asked, smiling.

"It's for you." James said, standing and walking over to him, "I wanted to surprise you."

"You did all this?" Carlos asked, looking in awe at him.

"Well, Kendall helped with the spaghetti, but I fixed the pallet all by myself." James said, wrapping his arms around Carlos' waist.

"Thank you." Carlos said, smiling, "You're so sweet."

James smiled and kissed him softly.

"You hungry?" he asked.

Carlos nodded and they walked over to the table and sat down.

"This looks delicious." Carlos said, eyeing his spaghetti.

"I hope you like it." James said, "I burned my finger in the process."

"How did you manage that?" Carlos asked.

"Long story." James said, trying to avoid his stupid mistake.

"You tried to taste the sauce and it was too hot, right?" Carlos asked.

"Wha-" James said, his mouth hanging open, "How did you know?"

"I had a hunch." Carlos said, "And besides, it sounds like something you would do."

James narrowed his eyes at him, which only made him laugh. Carlos picked up his fork and twirled a bit of noodles around it and took a bite.

"This is good." he said, savoring the delicious taste.

"I'm glad you like it." James said, also taking a bite.

Carlos was right; it was rather good. They sat there and enjoyed their spaghetti, talking and laughing as they did. Both of them were so happy with the other; they never thought they could love someone so much. They even played a little footsie under the table. It was a cliche, but tonight was almost like that scene in Lady and the Tramp when they had their spaghetti outside that Italian restaurant. James handed Carlos the end of one of his noodles and they ate away at the ends, gradually coming closer together until they kissed. He even scooted one of his meatballs over onto Carlos' plate when he wasn't looking. It was so sweet.

After dinner, James put their dishes in the sink and popped some popcorn before their movie came on. They lay on their stomachs, leaning on their elbows as the movie came on.

"What movie did you rent?" Carlos asked.

"Titanic." James answered, taking a bite of popcorn, "Ever seen it before?"

"A couple times." Carlos answered.

The movie began and they lay there mostly in silence, cuddled close on the pallet. Throughout the movie, they nibbled at their popcorn. The light from the TV cast a blue 'glow' down onto them, as the lights were turned off.

"This is so romantic." Carlos commented, referring to both their evening and the movie.

Near the end of the movie, Carlos was crying; it was so sad and romantic at the same time. He knew James was crying a little, too, but he wouldn't show it; he hardly ever cried. As the movie went off, Carlos wiped the tears from his eyes and sniffled.

"Did you like it?" James asked.

Carlos nodded, "It was beautiful."

James smiled and cuddled Carlos close, bringing a blanket over them. They fell asleep there in the living room, cuddled safely in each others arms.

**A/N: **Like it? :D I hope you do, cause I worked hard on it. :) Also, I borrowed a few lines from Mochi no Yume's story 'Dynamite'. The lines belong solely to her; I just borrowed them. :) **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	10. Save Him

Okay, heeeeeeeeeere's the moment you've been waiting for! The climax of the story(but not the last chapter)! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

**Chapter 10: Save Him**

The next morning, Carlos awoke to the sight of sunlight streaming in from the large windows of the living room. He was still laying on the pallet James had made for them in the middle of the liviing room floor. It was rather comfortable. He was snuggled underneath a soft blanket and he felt an arm wrapped loosely around his torso and he felt a gentle warmth pressed against him. He smiled; he was laying on his side and James was nestled behind him close. He carefully turned over, not wanting to wake James. Usually, when he watched James sleep in the morning, he felt all happy and warm inside, but this morning was different somehow. He felt...scared. He felt a sense of foreboding.

"Oh, James..." Carlos whispered, reaching up and stroking James' bangs from his face.

He leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss to James' forehead. At the kiss, James inhaled deeply and peeped his eyes open. James smiled when he saw his beloved Carlos laying next to him. But his smile quickly faded when he saw the disturbed look on Carlos' face.

"What wrong, baby?" he asked in concern.

"O-oh, um...n-nothing." Carlos stammered, "It's nothing."

"Are you sure? You look a little pale." James said, running his fingers through Carlos' hair.

"I'm fine." Carlos said, trying to shake the uneasy feeling.

"Good morning, boys!" Mrs. Knight said happily as she walked into the room, still wearing her terri-cloth robe.

"Morning, Mrs. K." Carlos said, sitting up and stretching his tense muscles.

"What do you boys want for breakfast?" Mrs. Knight asked, pouring herself a refreshing glass of milk.

"Left-over spaghetti would be fine." Carlos said, "Doesn't really matter to me."

"You, James?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Spaghetti's fine for me, too." James answered, sitting up.

"Spaghetti, it is." Mrs. Knight said, taking the left-over spaghetti out of the refrigerator.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." James said, standing and walking out of the room.

"Carlos, will you go wake up Kendall and Logan?" Mrs. Knight asked, "They were up till midnight playing video games."

"Sure." Carlos said, standing.

He walked down the hall to the room Logan and Kendall shared and got them up by bouncing on the end of their beds. They both groaned and got up, looking frustrated. Carlos walked into the room that he and James shared and sat down on the edge of his twin bed beside the bathroom door. He sighed in frustration, trying to sort out his strange feelings of uneasiness about James. It felt as if James were about to be snatched away from him at any second. And his nightmare was ever-present in his mind. Was his nightmare trying to tell him something? He was almost sure it was; but, what? What was it trying to tell him?

Chewing nervously at his bottom lip, Carlos reached down beside his bed and picked up his helmet and slid it onto his head. His thoughts always seemed clearer when he was wearing his helmet. But not now. Why not now? He felt the need to express his feelings, to tell James how he felt about him. But he didn't want to worry him or upset him. Reaching over into the top drawer of the nightstand between his and James' twin beds, he retrieved his notebook and a pen. He placed a book on his lap beneath the notebook so he had a hard surface to write on. He opened the notebook to a blank page and just began to write. He wrote and wrote, spilling forth his feelings for James. He sat there for a good fifteen minutes, just continuing to write. When he finished, he tore the page out of the notebook and folded it and held onto it tightly.

When he got dressed and put on his jeans, he placed the letter in his pocket. He felt the need to keep it safe. Most of the rest of the day, he was quiet and kept to himself, trying to sort all this out.

* * *

That evening, they all were sitting in the living room(with the exception of Kendall, who was busily searching in his room for something). Carlos was snuggled close to James, of course. Katie and Logan were sitting in the floor, playing a game of cards. and Mrs. Knight sat on the couch, sorting through her recipe box. As they went about their business, Kendall walked into the room, looking frustrated.

"Have any of you guys seen my sunglasses?" he asked, "I can't find them anywhere."

"Did you check under your bed?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"I've checked everywhere." Kendall answered.

There was a long silence as Kendall tried t think of any possible place he could've missed. Then, he remembered.

"Oh, I must've left them in the park yesterday when Jo and me took a walk." he said, "I'll be back in half an hour. I'm gonna go get 'em."

"Wait. I'll do it." James said, standing, "I was fixing to go for a walk anyway."

" 'kay." Kendall said, "You know that big tree right by the exit? That was the last place we were. Check there first."

James nodded and started for the door.

Suddenly, something 'clicked' inside Carlos. Everything came flooding together and it all made sense. James, in the park, the sunglasses, the tree by the exit! It was all real and it was fixing to happen! Carlos simply couldn't let this happen. He couldn't!

"James! Wait!" he said suddenly, standing up.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"I-I'll do it." Carlos said, "You, um...you can stay here."

"Okaaaaaay." James said slowly, thinking Carlos had lost it.

"Yeah, James, come play cards with us." Katie said, "I'm fixing to smoke Logan at this."

"Okay." James said, walking over.

Carlos let out a silent sigh of relief and he walked toward the door. He opened it and stepped into the hall. His feet took over and he found himself walking quickly out of the Palm Woods and down the street to the park. He almost ran part of the way. He felt as if he were on a mission. A mission to save the boy he loved more than anything...

**A/N: **Hehehe! Cliff-hanger! Oh, I'm bad...in a good way, though. LOL! :D Oooo! What's gonna happen? ;)


	11. Accident

Dah-dah-da-duuuuuuummmmmmm! Here's the next chappy! :D

**Chapter 11: Accident**

His heart was pounding, his blood racing through his body, and his breath was coming in shorter and shorter whispers. He was half way across the completely empty park. The park looked exactly as it did in his nightmare. It was dark and the bright security lights illuminated the grounds. The sounds of the city could be heard, but that was the last thing in his mind. All he could think about was saving James. He still had his long note he'd written, explaining his love for him. If this all turned out to be nothing and everything was fine, he'd give it to him when he got back to the apartment; but if everything wasn't okay, the police would find the note on his body and give it to James then. Either way, James would know how much he meant to him.

Carlos passed the empty playground and had the tree in sight. He felt the fear grow inside of him as he grew closer and closer to it with each passing step. He reached the tree, gasping slightly as he had run almost the whole way. Swallowing hard, he walked around to the side of the tree facing the exit and he just stood there...waiting. Waiting for the car to come swerving around the curve and hit him...but it never came. He waited for a good twenty minutes, but the car never came. He was beginning to think it was all nothing and he was just being paranoid. Satisfied that his nightmare was not coming true, he deiced to search for Kendall's sunglasses. He looked down and they were right there in plain sight about two feet away from his foot. He reached down and picked them up and was about to walk away when he was suddenly stunned by a blinding light.

The last thing he remembered was the sound of glass shattering and and excruciating pain throughout his entire body...

* * *

Back at the apartment, everyone was sitting in the living room, enjoying a comedy special, laughing their guts out. They had no idea the terror that was about to befall them.

Their laughing was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Kendall-honey, would you get that?" Mrs. Knight asked, wiping the tears of laughter from her face.

Kendall stood and walked over to the cordless phone laying on the counter and picked it up, pressing the 'talk' button. In the living room, everyone was laughing and carrying on so, they didn't hear the conversation Kendall was having on the phone. James glanced up and saw Kendall staring at him, holding the phone in one hand, a look of utter shock on his pale face.

"James..." Kendall said, his throat dry.

"What?" James asked.

"It's Carlos." Kendall said, "There's been and accident."

**A/N: ***rubs hands together evilly* Hehehehe! Another cliffy! :D I know it's REALLY short, but I promise the next on will be longer. :) **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	12. Save Me

Hehehehe! Sorry for the two cliffies! :D LOL!

**Chapter 12: Save Me**

The ride to the park was short, but it seemed to take forever to James. He'd never felt his heart beating so fast. He had to remind himself to even breathe, he was so worried. All he knew was that Carlos had been in an accident; he didn't know what kind of accident or anything. For all he knew, Carlos could be dead already and the police just didn't want to tell him.

They reached the park and drove in through the exit. Surrounding the large tree several feet away were several police cars, two ambulances, and even a firetruck. All the lights on all the vehicles were on and flashing, illuminating the space around them. James jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop and ran over to the nearest police car; there was a tall, African-American officer, who looked to be in his mid-50's, standing there and he looked like he would be the one in charge.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" James asked frantically.

"Woah, woah. Calm down, son." the officer said; he sounded kind and understanding, "Are you James?"

"Yes." James said, trying to calm himself, but it was almost impossible.

"He's been asking for you." the officer said.

"He's talking. What ambulance is he in?" James asked.

"He's not in an ambulance." the officer said, a sense of worry in his voice.

James felt his heart skip a beat. Why wasn't Carlos in an ambulance? What had happened?

"Wh-what happened?" James asked.

"The truck swerved off the road and his Carlos, and then a tree. And he was pinned between the two." the officer explained.

"What does that mean? Pinned?" James asked.

"The truck has severed most of his lower half." the officer said.

"Wh...what did you say?" James asked in shock.

"He won't be saved. His body is pinned in such a way that it's alive when it shouldn't be alive...and the truck is holding him together. He's talking almost like normal, and we didn't pull the truck out because we wanted you to come down here and be with him as long as he's awake. And that won't be very long." the officer explained again, "Now, do you understand everything I've just told you?"

"Officer, is...is this the last time I'm gonna talk with my boyfriend?" James asked, on the verge of tears.

"I'm afraid it is." the officer said, looking sympathetic.

James felt as if he'd been hit in the chest by a sledgehammer. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. Carlos was dying. And this was the last time they were going to talk together. What about all the things James never told him? Like how he thought it was so adorable that Carlos had a Garfield beach towel, or how he sometimes sang to him while he slept. It was just little things like that that really mattered.

"Son?" the officer asked, breaking him out of his thoughts, "He needs you."

James nodded, unable to speak. The officer placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and lead him a few feet away to the back of the truck. James looked at him questioningly and he gave him a nod, gesturing him forward. James timidly walked over toward the front of the truck. And what he saw made his heart shatter. There was Carlos, the boy he loved more than anything in the world, the boy he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with, pinned between the front of the truck and the thick trunk of the tree. He was bent at the waist, half-laying on the hood of the dark-blue truck. As he stepped closer, he saw a thin stream of blood trickling down the side of Carlos' face from his mouth and his face was deathly pale. James stepped up to the truck and bent down slightly so he was eye-level with Carlos.

"Hi, James." Carlos said in a small, slightly-strained voice.

"Hi, baby." James said, trying his best to hold back tears, "How you doing?"

"Okay." Carlos said, "James, I have to tell you something."

"I'm listening." James said, clinging to every word because each one could be his last.

"M-my nightmare...it was this." he said, "Only it was y-you that was hit."

"What are you talking about?" James asked softly.

"The nightmare I had...it was of you being hit by the truck." Carlos said, "It was fixing to happen wh-when you were going for a walk...and I c-couldn't let it happen."

"You mean...you did this...to save me?" James asked.

Carlos nodded.

"I love you too much to have let that happen." he said, swallowing weakly.

"Oh, baby..." James said, not knowing what to say.

"A-are Kendall and L-Logan here?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah, they're right over there." James said, sniffling a little.

"C-can I see them?" Carlos asked.

"Sure." James said, "I'll be right back."

He straightened and walked over to where Kendall, Logan, Mrs. Knight, and Katie stood by the first police car.

"How is he?" Kendall asked.

"He's um..." James said, fighting tears, "He...he wants to see you two."

Kendall and Logan exchanged worried glances and walked over to the front of the truck. It was the worst thing in the world to see their dearest friend like this. It hurt them so deeply.

"Hey, guys." Carlos said, smiling weakly.

"Hey, buddy." Kendall said softly, "How you doin'?"

"Okay, I guess." Carlos said, "D-did the officer tell you?"

Fighting back tears, they both nodded.

"I'm sorry, guys." Carlos said, "I-I just want to let you know that...you've been the best friends anyone could ever ask for. Thank you."

Kendall and Logan both nodded.

"You've been the best, too." Logan said, obviously crying.

"Will you guys promise me something?" Carlos asked, coughing a little.

"Anything." Kendall said, leaning close so he could hear clearly.

"I want you two to promise me that you'll take care of James for me." Carlos said, "He's going to be hurting so bad. Please take care of him."

"W-we will." Kendall said, his voice breaking.

"Yeah." Logan reassured.

"Thank you." Carlos said, "C-can I see James again. I want him to be with me."

They nodded.

"We love you." Kendall said, giving Carlos' hair a comforting stroke.

"...love you, too." Carlos said, his voice growing weaker.

Kendall and Logan walked back over to where James, Mrs. Knight, and Katie stood. James was crying freely by now and Mrs. Knight was trying to comfort him. Katie just seemed lke she was in shock. All the guys were like big brothers to her and now she was about to loose one.

"James." Kendall said, "Carlos wants you."

James looked up, his eyes red and his cheeks tear-stained. He nodded and without saying a word, we walked quickly back over to Carlos. The second he was by his side, he took his hand in his.

"I'm here, baby. I'm here." James said reassuringly.

"Oh, James..." Carlos said, starting to cry a little, "I-I l-love you...so much."

James nodded, biting his lip.

"I love you, too, baby." he said, more tears falling.

"Th-these past few weeks have been the best few weeks of my entire life...because I spent them loving you." Carlos said weakly.

This had great effect on James, who cried harder than before.

"W-will you hold me?" Carlos asked.

James nodded and stepped over beside Carlos, standing so they were nestled together. He half-lay on the hood of the truck, too, and lay his arm protectively over Carlos' back.

"I'm here." he whispered, "Just breathe. Breathe."

Carlos sniffled.

"Does it hurt?" James asked, dreading the answer.

"I don't feel much." Carlos said.

"Good." James said; at least Carlos wouldn't be in pain.

"I'm cold." Carlos said, shivering a little.

James was sure it was from blood-loss; what he could see of the front of the truck was stained a crimson-red color that made his stomach turn. He gently stroked Carlos' hair soothingly and continuously whispered comforts to his dying lover.

"I'm just gonna close my eyes for a while." Carlos said, "I'm so sleepy."

This scared James so much. What if he never woke up again?

"I love you." he said, just in case that was the last thing he said to him.

Carlos nodded and let his eyes drift shut. From that point on, the only sign that he was still alive was the feint sound of his weak breath. They stayed like this for a good fifteen minutes. James felt so utterly helpless; Carlos was dying right in front of him and there was nothing he coudl do. It was as if Carlos' body had turned against him. Every breath that was supposed to be supplying his body with precious oxygen was all but agony for him to even take, and every beat of his heart that was supposed to be keeping him alive was slowly killing him. Finally, James could stand it no more; he _had _to do _something_.

Carefully extricating himself from holding Carlos, he walked quickly over to the police officer he'd talked to before.

"There has to be something you can do to save him." James said.

"Son, I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." the officer said, "The paramedics all ready examined him and they said he had almost no chance of survival if we pulled the truck away."

James sighed heavily.

"Are you, married, officer?" he asked.

"Yes, I am." the officer answered.

"Do you love your wife?" James asked.

"Very, very much." the officer said.

"If she were in this situation, wouldn't you go to hell and back to save her?" James asked, "What makes this any different?"

The officer just looked at him, mulling things over in his mind. He was touched by James' devotion and obvious love for Carlos.

"Fine." he said, "We'll try."

A small smile crossed James' face. There was a chance! In an instant, the whole area was jumping with activity. Several officers busied themselves with hooking the truck to on of the police cars, and the paramedics were getting their supplies ready. Everything was ready and assembled in less than five minutes.

"Is everyone ready?" the officer called to everyone involved with the rescue operation.

Everyone gave him a thumbs-up, signalling that they were ready. James walked over so he was standing beside Carlos. All the activity had awoken him and he seemed confused.

"James?" he asked, weakly lifting his head to look around.

"I'm here, baby. Everything's going to be fine." James reassured him, "We're going to get you out of here."

"We're gonna pull the truck away on 'three', okay?" the officer called, "Ready? One. Two. Three!"

Immediately the truck slowly inched away, pulled by the police car. Carlos cried out in pain as the pressure was released from his torso. He'd been pressed so hard against the tree that the truck had made his body go mostly numb and now that pressure was gone and it was agony.

"Easy, easy, baby." James whispered, "It's okay."

Once the truck was about a foot away, James and the paramedics slowly lowered Carlos to the ground, laying him on a stretcher they'd placed there. The second he touched the stretcher, the paramedics went to work. One of them was working to staunch the flow of blood that poured from his wound, while the others were hurriedly checking his vital signs. It was all happening so fast, James didn't know what to do. In an instant, Carlos was whisked away and placed in the back of the ambulance.

"P-please, can I go with him?" James asked, running over to the open doors of the ambulance.

"I'm sorry; there's no room." one of the paramedics said, "You can meet us at the hospital. Just follow the ambulance."

With that, the doors to the ambulance were closed and it sped away, its siren wailing at an ear-splitting tone.

**A/N: **Oooo! What's gonna happen? ;) **PLEASE R&R! :D **I got inspiration for the accident from the flashbacks on the movie 'Signs'. :)


	13. At the Hospital

**:D **

**Chapter 13: At the Hospital**

The whole ride to the hospital was excruciating for James. The constant thought of Carlos bleeding in the ambulance just in front of them was agony. And to not know whether or not he was even alive or not sent chills up his spine. But Kendall and Logan was there for him and that made it slightly better. They reached the hospital a few minutes after the ambulance and James burst through the door, running over to the nurses' station desk.

"Can I help you, sir?" the receptionist asked.

"C-Carlos Garcia...where...is he...okay?" James gasped out.

The receptionist typed in something on her computer.

"Mr. Garcia is still in the emergency unit. The doctor will be out to speak with you in a moment." she said, "You can have a seat right over there."

James walked over to the small waiting room adjacent to the main room and sat down. The others came in a moment later to see James sitting in one of the chairs, crying and running his fingers through his hair.

"How is he?" Kendall asked, walking over and sitting next to him.

"I d-don't know anything yet." James said, "She said the doctor would be out in a minute."

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be fine." Logan said, sitting down on the other side of James.

Kendall rubbed James' back in an effort to comfort him, but it didn't seem to help much.

"What am I gonna do if I loose him?" James said(or tried to say) through tears.

"We're not going to loose him." Kendall reassured him; he just hoped he was right.

Moments later an older grey-haired doctor stepped into the room.

"Family of Carlos Garcia?" he asked, making sure he had the right room.

Everyone was up in a second, James being the first.

"How is he?" he asked.

"Mr. Garcia has suffered massive internal injuries, resulting in internal bleeding. This must be repaired with surgery immediately." the doctor explained.

"C-can I go see him?" James asked.

"I'm afraid not. The surgery has to be performed immediately if he has a chance of being saved." the doctor said, "I promise we'll do everything we can for him."

The doctor was about to walk out of the room when he stopped, reaching into the pocket on his white coat.

"Oh, this was in his pocket." he said, pulling out a folded piece of paper stained with a few blood drops, "He made me promise to give it to you."

He handed the paper to James and walked out of the room. Swallowing hard, James sat down and unfolded the paper. It was a letter from Carlos.

_James, _

_I don't know how to say this. I'm trying to tell you how much I love you. But no matter how much I try, I just can't seem to do it. It's impossible. You're just so amazing. You're more than I could have ever hoped for. I never thought I could meet someone like you. I didn't think someone as popular and beautiful as you would give a simple guy like me a second look. But you did and you've made me more happy than I ever thought I could be. These past few weeks have been the most amazing, happiest weeks of my life. And you made them like that. You've shown me the meaning of love and ecstasy. Every morning when I wake up and see you, I fall in love all over again. Every time you say 'I love you', I almost urn around to see who you're talking to because it all seems too wonderful to be true. If I'm away from you for more than an hour, I can't stop thinking about you. When I look into your eyes, my whole world is all right. I carry you in my spirit. You're the source of my inspiration. You've held my hand through everything; the good and the bad. I don't care what anyone else thinks; I love you for you and nothing in the world can ever change that. With you, everything is so perfect. I know I can confide in you about anything and I know you won't ever judge me. I cherish every moment I have with you. When I'm sad, I cling to those moments and that's one of the things that gets me through. You're my constant and only light and I couldn't let that light be extinguished. _

_Oh, James,  
You're the only one I'll ever want.  
You're the only one I'll ever dream of.  
You're the only one I'll ever kiss.  
You're the only one I'll ever hold.  
You're the only one I'll ever whisper sweet nothings to.  
You're the only one I'll ever cuddle.  
You're the only one I'll ever take off my clothes for.  
You're the only one I'll ever smile for.  
You're the only one I'll ever moan your name to.  
You're the only one I'll ever share my deepest secrets with.  
You're the only one I'll ever love. _

_You are my everything.  
Carlos. _

Tears fell freely down James' face as he finished reading the letter. It felt as if his heart, his soul, was being torn in two. How could this be happening? When he and Carlos were together, he thought they had all the time in the world to say these things to each other, but now all that time seemed to be silently slipping away with each passing minute. If he lost Carlos, he simply wouldn't be able to go on. If Carlos died, he and Big Time Rush would die with him.

**A/N: **Sorry for another short chapter. I'm using short chapters to build up the suspense. :) **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	14. Hold Me, My Love

Sorry for the cliffy in the previous chappy! Hehehehe! :D

**Chapter 14: Hold Me, My Love**

From the second, the doctor walked out of the room, James was more worried than ever. He knew the surgery Carlos was undergoing could save his life, but the mere thought of Carlos laying on a table with a tube down his throat, completely unconscious with people cutting on him made his stomach turn. Every minute that ticked by seemed like hours to James. His mind never left Carlos. He barely said two words the whole time. Most of the time, he was glued to his chair, but the rest of the time was occupied by nervous pacing the room. Kendall and Logan were constantly trying to comfort him, but their words fell on deaf ears; James could not be comforted until he was by Carlos' side. He refused any food or drink(Kendall and Logan went to the vending machine to get a bag of chips and a drink).

For a full five hours James was in his constant cloud of worry and fear. Fear for Carlos, fear for himself, fear for the future of the band, everything. James was right in the middle of what seemed like the thousandth time pacing the room when the door suddenly opened and the same doctor from before stepped in, only this time, he was wearing a light blue scrub outfit like doctors wear when they perform surgery.

"James." Kendall said to get James' attention(he had his back turned when the doctor entered).

James turned and a sudden fear struck him. The doctor was here. Did Carlos make it? Was he all right?

"Is he okay?" James asked immediately.

"Please, sit down." the doctor said, motioning to James' chair.

What? Why did he want him to sit down? What had happened? What was wrong?

Swallowing hard, James sat down. Everyone was on the edges of their seats as the doctor, too, sat down.

"He made it out of surgery." the doctor said, "We were able to repair the internal injuries, but he lost alot of blood. His chances of survival have significantly improved, but the next forty-eight hours will be very critical for him."

"Can...can we go see him?" James asked.

"Not quite yet. He's still in intensive care. Let us get him in a room, then you can see him." the doctor said.

"How long will than be?" James asked.

"About forty-five minutes." the doctor said, "And I think it's best if someone were to stay here with him while he recovers. It's best if he remains around those who are familiar to him."

"I'll stay with him." James immediately volunteered; he had no intention of leaving Carlos' side.

"Fine." the doctor said, "I'll go see that he gets into a room and I'll come get you as soon as possible."

He stood and exited the room. Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief and tears cam to James' eyes. He, Kendall and Logan all embraced each other, crying with relief.

"He's gonna be okay!" James cried.

Katie and Mrs. Knight also embraced.

Forty-five minutes later, the doctor cam back and lead them to the eighth floor and down a series of long, white hallways to Carlos' room. On the wall next to the door was a wide window with a curtain drawn from the inside.

"Now, I must warn you, he's still a little out of it from the anesthesia and he will be for a while." he said.

All of them nodded and James stepped up to the window, preparing himself for whatever he may see. The doctor knocked on the window three times and a nurse inside the room pulled the curtain back. James felt his breath snatched from his lungs and his mouth went dry. There was Carlos. He lay on the bed in the room, motionless. His body was propped at an obtuse angle, the head of the bed elevated slightly, and he was covered by several white blankets. His head was turned facing them and he was deathly pale. And the worst part of it was that there was a tube still down his throat. He looked so frail and sick.

"Oh, God..." James whispered, his voice wavering.

"It's okay." Kendall said, stepping up and placing a firm but gentle hand on James' shoulder.

"You can go in if you'd like." the doctor said.

James nodded and fought the urge to cry. He stepped over and opened the door. As he stepped in, the nurse in there walked out to give them some privacy. As the door closed, James found himself alone in the room with Carlos. He silently walked over to the bed and stood beside it. For a moment, he just stood there, staring down at his hurt lover.

"Oh, Carlos..." James whispered.

He reached out timidly and slid his hand into Carlos'. He held Carlos' hand in both of his.

"I'm here, baby." he said, "I'm here."

It may have been his imagination, but at the sound of his voice, Carlos' breathing seemed to even out just a bit. James reached up and gently stroked Carlos' hair as a sign of comfort; he knew Carlos must be in terrible pain. James never thought he would see his precious Carlos in this condition. Just a day earlier, they had been so happy and carefree and more in love than ever. Now, Carlos lay before him, hurt and in pain and with the possibility of dying. And this happened because of him. Carlos was in this situation because he had saved James' life. He would never be able to forgive himself if he lost Carlos.

As James sat there, lost in his thoughts, he heard something. He thought he heard a weak moan. His eyes shot up to Carlos' face and he saw him stirring slightly. Another weak moan escaped his lips and his face scrunched up slightly.

"Carlos?" James asked, leaning in slightly, "Baby, can you hear me?"

Another weak moan. Carlos looked as if he were trying so hard just to wake up, but he couldn't seem to will his weak body to do it.

"Come on, baby, I know you can do it." James encouraged softly, stroking Carlos' hair in a soothing manner.

Carlos moaned again, but still did not open his eyes. He coughed weakly and a small gagging sound escaped his throat. He was slowly coming into the world of consciousness and the tube down his throat must be choking him. James turned to face the window and motioned for the doctor to come in. He did so.

"Is there something wrong?" the doctor asked.

"I think he's trying to wake up and this tube looks like it's choking him." James said, hearing another weak cough.

The doctor rushed over to the other side of the bed. He turned Carlos' head upright and he very carefully removed the plastic tube from his throat.

"There we go." the doctor said, "He should be much more comfortable now. If you need anything else, notify a nurse at the station down the hall, and I'll be checking in on him every hour or so."

James nodded and the doctor walked out of the room. As James turned back to Carlos, he saw his eyes peeping open slightly.

"Hey." James said softly, "How you feeling?"

Carlos only moaned and blinked, trying to focus his eyes. He looked like he was trying to say something, but it seemed to be hurting him to exert even that small amount of effort. Noticing this, James held his hand in his.

"It's okay. You don't have to talk right now." he said, "I know it hurts. I'm here, baby."

"James." Carlos said, almost inaudible.

But James heard him. He would always hear him.

"I'm here." James repeated, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"...hurts." Carlos whispered.

"I know." James said, "It's okay. You're going to just fine."

"Sl...sleepy." Carlos said, still under the influence of the anesthesia.

"Then rest." James said, "Just rest."

With that, Carlos drifted off again. James leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to Carlos' forehead. Glancing back up to the window, he saw Kendall, Logan, Mrs. Knight, and Katie looking in with worry on their faces. James motioned for them to come in. He saw Mrs. Knight nod for Kendall and Logan to go in first; she and Katie stayed in the hall so they could have a moment, just the four of them. They stepped in and closed the door quietly. They walked over and stood on the other side of the bed.

"How is he?" Kendall asked, keeping his voice soft so he wouldn't disturb Carlos.

"He's kinda out of it." James said.

There was a long, thick silence. The silence was interrupted by a sniffle. Logan and Kendall looked over to James. He was crying.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked, walking over to sit beside him.

"What if I loose him?" James cried, drawing his legs up to his chest, "Oh, God...what's gonna happen?"

"James, he'll be okay." Logan said, wrapping an arm around James' shaking shoulders, "He's strong."

James buried his face into his knees and just cried. Logan glanced back at Kendall, who had a sympathetic/worried look on his face.

* * *

Out in the hall, Mrs. Knight and Katie sat in silence. Mrs. Knight could see the pain and suffering her boys were going through and she felt completely helpless. She could think of nothing she could do to help. She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard two sets of footsteps hurriedly approaching them. She looked up and saw Gustavo and Kelly scurrying down the hall.

"We just got a call that Carlos had been in an accident." Kelly said, "What happened?"

"He was hit by a truck while he was walking in the park." Mrs. Knight explained.

Gustavo stepped over to the window and looked in. Mrs. Knight and Kelly watched him as he just stared at his monkey-dogs through his sunglasses. He just stood there for several seconds before turning back around.

"I'll um...I'll be right back." he said, turning and walking down the hall to the mens' bathroom.

Within seconds, they heard a loud banging sound coming from the bathroom. Kelly rushed down the hall and opened the door. She saw Gustavo angrily punching the metal garbage can attached to the wall. His sunglasses were thrown on the ground and his eyes were bloodshot.

"What are you doing?" Kelly asked.

He didn't answer. Kelly had to physically, pull him away and restrain him from punching a hole in the garbage can.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Oh, God!" Gustavo cried, leaning against the wall and sinking down to sit on the floor.

Kelly had never seen him this way before. She looked at him questioningly.

"What if I loose them?" Gustavo cried.

He knew he always yelled at the guys and pretended not to like them, but in truth, they were like sons to him. He'd never been this close to one of his bands before. They guys were just so full of life and energy and they had a special talent for singing that no other band had. The mere thought of literally loosing them, made Gustavo loose it. Kelly knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his big shoulder.

"They'll be fine." she said, "You're not gonna loose your boy-monkeys."

**A/N: **Hope you like it! I worked hard on this. :D **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	15. We're Here for You

Sorry for the delay in updating. :)

**Chapter 15: We're Here for You**

It was the next day before Carlos woke up again. His eyes slowly drifted open and the first thin he saw was the solid-white ceiling above him. '_Where am I?' _was his first thought. He concentrated hard and tried to remember what had happened. Slowly, it all came back and he knew he was in the hospital. He felt the soft, warm bed beneath him as well as the cozy blankets covering him. He was warm from his neck down. The air conditioner was running and the room was rather cold; he knew this because of the very cold feeling all over his face. His nose was particularly cold. This brought back fond memories of him and his three dearest friends playing in the snow back in Minnesota. That seemed so long ago.

His eyes drifted from the ceiling and he looked down at his right side. He saw James sitting in the chair beside the bed, his head laying on the edge of the bed. He was asleep. Carlos mustered a small smile at this. The next thing he noticed was the dull pain in his abdomen. It still hurt, but it was nothing like it had been the day before. They must have upped his morphine or something. He looked down past the foot of the bed and he saw Kendall and Logan asleep on the couch. He smiled at this, too. He smiled both at seeing them and the fact that Logan's head was laying in Kendall's lap. Looking back to James, who was still asleep, Carlos mustered all the strength he could and lifted his hand and lightly stroked James' hair. James stirred slightly and opened his eyes. Upon seeing Carlos awake, he shot up, fully awake.

"Hey, baby." he said softly, holding Carlos' hand in his, "How you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit by a truck." Carlos moaned, trying to lighten the mood.

James smiled and stroked Carlos' hair.

"Were you here all night?" Carlos asked.

James nodded, "We all were. Kendall and Logan refused to go home."

Carlos smiled.

"Look over there." James said, pointing across the room.

Carlos glanced over and saw a big basket full of colorful flowers and it had a round balloon attached to its handle. On the balloon was written 'Get Well Soon'.

"Wh-where did that come from?" Carlos asked, smiling.

"It was down in the gift shop. We all chipped in and got it for you. It was the biggest one they had." James said, "Gustavo got the balloon."

"He did?" Carlos asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Turns out, he's more sensitive than he lets on." James said.

A couple hours later, Mrs. Knight and Katie came for a visit. They were both happy to see him awake, and Katie drew him a get-well card, which she set beside the basket of flowers.

"So, how's our little patient feeling this morning?" Mrs. Knight asked, in her usual cheerful mood.

"Like hell." Carlos moaned.

"You look like it, too." Katie said.

"Katie!" Mrs. Knight scolded.

Carlos giggled weakly, knowing Katie was only trying to lighten the mood, as usual.

"Looks like they had a long night, too." Mrs. Knight said, looking over at Kendall and Logan, who were still sleeping like babies on the couch.

"They did." James said, "The three of us were up almost all night."

"Have you been down to get breakfast yet?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"No, not yet." James said, noticing he was rather hungry.

They stood there for a couple minutes, not saying anything. Mrs. Knight walked over to the couch and gently shook Kendall's shoulder.

"Wake up, honey." she whispered.

Kendal reluctantly woke up, rubbing his tired eyes. Feeling his stirring, but unwilling to wake, Logan moaned and shifted. But, he was jolted awake when he rolled over and landed face-first on the cold, tile floor.

"Woah, wait! What-what-!" he stuttered, disoriented from his rude awakening.

Katie laughed at him as he stumbled to his feet and regained his relative composure.

"What time is it?" Kendall asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Almost 11:30, sleepy-head." Mrs. Knight replied.

It took a few minutes, but Kendall woke himself up. Noticing that Carlos was awake, he walked over to the edge of his bed.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired." Carlos mumbled.

Kendall gave him a reassuring smile and lightly patted his shoulder. He looked up at James.

"Logan and I are going down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. You wanna come?" Kendall asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb Carlos.

James shook his head, "No, I'm gonna stay here."

He had no intention of leaving Carlos' side.

"You want us to bring you back something?" Kendall asked.

James nodded, "A sandwich or something will be fine."

" 'kay." Kendall said.

He and Logan walked out of the room.

"You could've gone with them. I wouldn't mind." Carlos mumbled.

"I'm not leaving you." James said, giving Carlos' hand a reassuring squeeze.

Mrs. Knight walked over to the edge of the bed.

"I've gotta take Katie to an audition. We just stopped by for a minute to see how he was doing." she whispered to James.

James nodded.

"Call me if anything happens." Mrs. Knight whispered before she and Katie walked out of the room, leaving James and Carlos alone.

James sat in his chair, still holding Carlos' hand. Carlos had drifted off again; it would be several days before all the anesthesia worked its way out of his system. All James could do was sit and watch the slow rise and fall of Carlos' chest. His eyes were glued to it. He felt like if he looked away for even a split second, he would look back and the rise and fall would be gone. As he sat in silence, his mind drifted and he thought about the events of the past month.

He and Carlos had professed their love for one another and since then, their lies were absolute bliss because they had each other to love and care for. They'd shared laughter and tears and many moments of passion; they'd shared life. And now all that threatened to be taken away. And it was all because of Carlos' unmeasurable love and devotion for James. Carlos had risked his life to save James'. James was very grateful for this, but at the same time, he wished more than anything that he could take Carlos' place so he would be okay and not in pain. It hurt James, too, to see his beloved Carlos in any kind of pain.

James was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Carlos moan softly. His eyes shot to his face and he saw Carlos shifting his head slightly as he was coming into the world of wakefulness once again.

"James..." Carlos mumbled.

"I'm here, baby." James said, standing so Carlos could see him without having to gather all his strength just to turn his head.

Carlos peeped his eyes open and mumbled something James couldn't quite make out.

"What did you say, baby?" James asked softly.

"Thirsty." Carlos moaned.

James reached over to the table beside the bed and picked up the styrofoam cup of ice chips one of the nurses had left for Carlos whenever he was thirsty. He took the lid off the cup and picked up the plastic spoon on the table, getting a few of the ice chips on it. He gently fed them to Carlos, who chewed them weakly.

"Thank you." Carlos mumbled as he swallowed, "That's much better."

"You want some more?" James asked.

Carlos nodded. James fed him another spoonful of the ice chips. Carlos motioned that that was enough, so James set the cup aside. As he set the cup down, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." James called.

The door opened and the same doctor from the previous day walked in, wheeling a small cart of medical supplies. James hadn't even bothered to read the doctor's nametag. As he approached, he saw that his nametag read, 'Dr. Benson'. Before walking over to the bed, Dr. Benson pulled the curtain over to window looking out into the hallway to give them privacy.

"Good morning." Dr. Benson said, walking over to the bed, "And how are we today?"

"Tired." Carlos said, trying to be more alert.

"Well, that's completely to be expected." Dr. Benson said, "I'm just going to check your vital signs and I need to change your bandage and I also need to perform a lumbar puncture."

"A what?" Carlos asked, his hold on James' hand tightening noticeably.

"A lumbar puncture." Dr. Benson repeated, "One of your lumbar vertebrae was fractured in the accident and I need to make sure there's no blood in your spinal column."

"Is it going to hurt?" Carlos asked.

"It will a little bit." Dr. Benson said, "But I'll try to get it over with as quickly as possible."

Carlos glanced nervously over at James. James gave him a look that said 'it'll be okay'. After taking note of Carlos' vital signs, the doctor turned to his cart. He took out a roll of clean bandages, several gauze squares, a pair of scissors, and a bottle of disinfecting alcohol. He set all these items on the hard surface on the top of the cart. He turned back to Carlos and pulled his hospital gown down to just below his waist, exposing his abdomen swathed in bandages. He took the scissors and cut the bandages. He peeled them away and lay them in the garbage tray in the cart.

James had to look away briefly at the sight of Carlos' bruised abdomen. His once perfect, soft skin was now cut through by a nasty scar dotted with black stitches. Dr. Benson picked up one of the gauze pads and soaked it with the disinfectant alcohol.

"This may sting a little." he said before pressing the gauze to the wound.

Carlos sucked in his breath suddenly and his grip on James' hand suddenly tightened. James could tell he was in pain.

"It's okay. Breathe." James soothed, stroking Carlos' arm.

Carlos let out his breath slowly, trying to ease the intense, stinging pain of the alcohol on his surgical wound.

"It'll all be over in a minute." Dr. Benson said, cleaning the wound quickly but thoroughly.

Once the wound was clean, he wrapped some fresh bandages around Carlos' abdomen in a thick layer.

"There. Now, I have to do the lumbar puncture." Dr. Benson said, pulling Carlos' hospital gown back over him, "I'll need you to turn over on your side, your back facing me."

James helped Carlos to turn over, facing him. Carlos whimpered as his wound stretched. James held his hands comfortingly.

"Pull your knees up to your chest. In the fetal position." Dr. Benson said, preparing the needle.

Carlos did so. His grip on James' hands was like a vice. He was so scared. A needle was about to be inserted into his spine and it would more than likely be very painful.

"It's okay." James whispered, stroking Carlos' hand with his thumb, "It's okay. Breathe."

"Now, you're going to feel a pinch." Dr. Benson said, sitting down on his stool behind Carlos.

Carlos held his breath as he felt the cold tip of the needle on his skin. He felt the pressure increase until the tip of the needle punctured his skin. The actual puncturing of his skin didn't hurt so much; it was the pushing in of the needle that hurt. Suddenly a very sharp pain shot up his spine, jolting his body. He cried out softly and tensed up.

"Try not to move." Dr. Benson said, pushing the needle just a millimeter further.

Carlos whimpered as Dr. Benson drew some of his spinal fluid. God, it hurt so much! He felt a tear slide down his cheek. The pain was relieved when Dr. Benson withdrew the needle.

"There, we're all finished." Dr. Benson said, "And it doesn't look like there's any blood in your spine."

"That's good, right?" James asked.

"Yes, it's very good." Dr. Benson said, "It means that his spinal cord wasn't injured."

Dr. Benson put away his supplies in the cart.

"You can turn back over now." he said, noticing Carlos was still locked in the fetal position, trembling slightly.

James gently helped him to turn over so he was once again laying on his back. Carlos whinced in pain as he moved, his back still very sensitive from the lumbar puncture.

"Later on, you may have a head-ache, but other than that there should be no side-affects from the lumbar puncture." Dr. Benson explained before he exited the room.

Once the door closed, Carlos let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. But as he let out his breath, a sharp pain shot up his spine, starting at the place where the needle had been in him. He whinced and scrunched up his face in pain.

"You okay?" James asked in concern.

"My back hurts." Carlos said, trying to relax the muscles in his back.

"Just relax." James whispered, slipping his hand beneath Carlos' back and massaging it slightly.

At James touch, Carlos instantly relaxed.

"Do you remember the last time you told me that?" Carlos asked, giggling a little.

"No. When?" James asked.

"The first time we made love." Carlos said, fondly remembering that night almost a month ago.

James smiled as he, too, remembered that wonderful night. It all seemed so long ago. As James was drifting off into thoughts of that night, he was interrupted by a sniffling sound. He looked up to Carlos and saw that he was crying.

"What's wrong, baby?" James asked, standing and leaning over him.

"W-will we ever be like that again?" Carlos asked.

"What do you mean?" James asked, wiping away the tears that slid down his love's face.

"I'm scared." Carlos said, "Help me, James."

"Oh, baby, it's gonna be okay." James said, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding Carlos' hand.

Just then, the door opened again and Kendall and Logan walked in, each holding a paper cup, drinking out of it through a straw. Kendall held a styrofoam take-out plate in his other hand. A concerned look crossed their faces when they saw Carlos crying. They walked over, not saying anything. James could tell by the looks on their faces that they were wondering what was wrong. James mouthed 'Just a minute' and motioned for them to go wait by the couch; Carlos needed some space right now. Several minutes later, Carlos' cries silenced and he fell back into his anesthesia-induced sleep. James stood from sitting on the bed and walked over to where Kendall and Logan stood by the couch.

"What was all that about?" Logan asked.

"He just had a moment. He's scared." James said.

"Poor Carlos." Kendall said, looking over at his sleeping friend.

There was a moment of silence.

"What's that?" James asked, motioning to the styrofoam take-out plate Kendall as holding.

"Oh." Kendall said, like he'd forgotten he was holding it, "Brought you a breakfast sandwich."

He handed the plate to James.

"Thanks." James said; he was starving.

He opened the plate and a 'cloud' of delicious aroma met him. He smelled ham and two or three different kinds of melted cheese. His mouth watered as he inhaled the sumptuous aroma of the hot sandwich. He walked over to his chair beside Carlos' bed and enjoyed his very delicious sandwich. While he greatly loved the taste of it and was relieved to have his hunger disappear, he felt a sense of guilt for being able to enjoy it so much while Carlos was only able to nibble on ice chips. He was half way finished with the sandwich when the sense of guilt got the best of him; he couldn't finish it right now. He put it back in the take-out plate and set it aside for now.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! Sorry it took so long to update! Please don't hit me! LOL! :D And if you don't like it, I'll be forced to send my evil minion bunnies after you! *points at you creepily* :D **PLEASE R&R! :D**

**Note: **Concerning the lumbar puncture: I do not know if a doctor would perform one to check and see if there was blood in someone's spinal column. Don't criticize me if it's incorrect!


	16. Getting Better

**I have decided to dedicate this story to Mochi no Yume. She has left me the most incredible reviews on every single chapter of this story and I am grateful beyond words to her for this. It means so much to know that there is someone out there who loves my stories so much and truly appreciates them. She has commented that in reading my stories, I have become her 'writing teacher' and she is inspired by this(and my other stories). Words cannot express how grateful I am for this, but I hope this will begin to say it: THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH, Mochi no Yume! You're incredible! Thank you! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**

**I would also like to give credit to Mochi no Yume for giving me inspiration for this chapter! :D We've been messaging back and forth and have become good friends and she gave me this brilliant idea! Thank you, Mochi! :D **

**Chapter 16: Getting Better**

By the next morning, Carlos' mood had improved _completely. _He seemed to be back to his normal self: smiling, talking constantly, laughing, joking, just as adorable as always. He seemed to fill the room with happiness, spreading it to everyone who walked in. James was so happy to see Carlos finally making an improvement. They'd been through so much in such a short period of time and it was so nice to finally see Carlos smiling again.

It was nearing the middle of the day and James and Carlos were sitting side-by-side on Carlos' bed, reading the latest issue of Man Fashion, which James had recently gotten Carlos interested in. Since the mood in the room was brighter and at ease, Kendall and Logan were just relaxing on he couch. Logan was working on his math homework, which Mrs. Knight had brought over for him, and Kendall was playing his Nintendo DS.

"Ooo, I love those jeans!" Carlos said, pointing to a particularly nice pair of jeans in the magazine.

"Nice." James said, "I like those."

He pointed to another pair next to the ones Carlos had pointed at. Carlos nodded in agreement.

"You guys have been looking at that magazine for over an hour; are you done _yet_?" Logan said from over on the couch.

"Hey, guys can like fashion, too." James said.

Logan just rolled his eyes and went back his homework. Carlos giggled and lay his head on James' shoulder as he turned the page in the magazine. They spent the next several minutes looking at the last few pages of the magazine and pointing out the man-fashions they liked.

"I'm hungry." Carlos said as James lay the magazine down on the bedside table.

He hadn't had any solid food in the better part of four days; mostly all he'd had were the ice chips James fed him. James didn't know why, but that simple statement sparked something inside him and he wanted to do something special for Carlos.

"If you could have _anything _in the world for lunch, what would it be? I mean, what do you just _crave_?" he asked.

Carlos thought for a minute.

"Some hot, gooey cheese pizza and a strawberry smoothie." he answered, his mouth watering at the thought.

"Sounds good." James commented, already devising a plan in his head.

He was suddenly interrupted when they heard a frustrated groan from Kendall.

"What's that matter?" James asked, almost laughing.

"I lost all my mushrooms!" Kendall said, not taking his eyes off his game-screen.

"Playing your Mario game again?" Carlos asked.

"Yep. And I just lost!" Kendall said, having to start his game all over again.

"You know, you wouldn't have to deal with that if you'd just do your homework." Logan said, pointing out the stack of books and papers on the floor beside the couch.

Kendall ignored him. The room was mostly silent for the better part of an hour. James still sat beside Carlos on the bed, just enjoying the feeling of their closeness. A few minutes later, he glanced down at him and noticed that he had a sad, longing look on his face; a sharp contrast to the happy, cheerful mood he'd been in most of the day.

"What's the matter, baby?" James asked.

"It's such a nice day." Carlos said, "I wish I could go outside."

James looked over at the window and understood what Carlos meant; the sun was shining and the sky was dotted with big, fluffy clouds. It was no secret that Carlos _loved _to be outside. As kids back in Minnesota, it was near to impossible to get Carlos to come inside from playing. Just about the only time they were able to get him inside was when they bribed him with milk and cookies. Those were such fond memories.

They were broken out of their thoughts by a sudden knock at the door.

"Come in." James said.

The door opened and Dr. Benson stepped in, carrying a clipboard.

"Good afternoon. How are we doing today?" he asked, crossing the room.

"So much better." Carlos said.

"Looks like it. You seem to have made a drastic improvement from yesterday." Dr. Benson said, "I'm just going to check your vital signs."

Dr. Benson checked Carlos' vital signs and recorded everything on his clipboard. James waited for him to finish writing so speak.

"Doctor, is he well enough to go outside for a while?" he asked.

Carlos' face brightened at the question.

"Yes, I believe so. Did you want to go outside now?" Dr. Benson replied.

"Yes, please." Carlos said, beaming with happiness.

"Okay. I'll go get you a wheelchair; it's not a good idea for you to do much walking yet." he said.

With that, he walked out of the room to get Carlos a wheelchair.

"Thank you so much!" Carlos said, giving James a hug.

James laughed, "You're welcome."

Dr. Benson returned in a few minutes, wheeling a wheelchair in front of him.

"Here we go." he said, parking the wheelchair right beside Carlos' bed, "Just let me take your IV out...*he carefully removed the IV*...and there we go."

James help Carlos slowly get out of bed and seated him carefully in the wheelchair.

"Thanks." Carlos said.

"Welcome." James said, "Just a minute. Kendall, will you come here a second?"

Kendall paused his game and walked over to James, who motioned for him to come out into the hall with him.

"What is it, dude?" Kendall asked once James closed the door.

"Will you do me a huge favor?" James asked.

"Sure. What?" Kendall answered.

"Will you take this..." James handed him ten dollars, "And go down to the cafeteria and get two slices of cheese pizza and two strawberry smoothies and take them down to the courtyard and put them on the picnic table in the middle of the garden?"

"You're doing this for Carlos, aren't you?" Kendall said, smiling.

"Yeah. He's been cooped up and he deserves something special." James said.

"You got it, man." Kendall said, turning and walking down the hall.

James smiled; his plan was all falling into place. He walked back into the room.

"You ready?" he asked, walking over behind Carlos' wheelchair.

"More than ready." Carlos said.

"Then let's go." James said, wheeling Carlos around to face the door, "Hey, Logan, you sure you'll be okay up here by yourself?"

"Sure; I've still got my Language homework to do." Logan answered.

"Okay." James said.

And with that, he and Carlos made their way down the hallway to the elevators, which they took down to the main floor. The exit door was just down the hall and to the right. They went through the door and into the courtyard. A wide smile beamed from Carlos' face as he looked around. The courtyard wasn't too awful crowded; only about four or five people here and there. And the weather was cool and clear and very pleasant.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" James commented.

"Very nice. The only thing that would make it better would be if there was a swimming pool full of pudding in the middle of the yard." Carlos said.

James couldn't help but laugh at this. As they made their way across the rather large courtyard, James spoke up.

"I have a surprise for you, baby." James said.

"What is it?" Carlos asked excitedly.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." James giggled.

James wheeled Carlos in the direction of the small gardens in the middle of the courtyard. The gardens were very nice and well-kept. They consisted of several raised concrete flower beds filled with a few flowers and many kinds of greenery and shrubs. There were a few small trees planted at either end of the garden and they provided some slight shade. There were also a few round, concrete picnic tables situated within the garden and they had movable, wooden seats on either side of them. They made their way to one table in particular and Carlos' face instantly brightened when he saw his surprise. There, on the table were two plates, each of which contained a thick slice of hot, gooey cheese pizza. There were also two medium-sized strawberry smoothies beside each plate.

"Welcome to our second date." James said, placing a gentle hand on Carlos' shoulder.

"Oh, James..." Carlos said, "...this is...perfect."

"I knew you'd like it. When I heard you say you were craving pizza, I wanted to do something special for you." James explained.

"Thank you so much!" Carlos said.

"You're welcome." James said, leaning down and giving Carlos a soft kiss.

They parted from the kiss and James moved aside one of the wooden chairs and wheeled Carlos' chair up to the table. He sat down opposite him.

"Mmm, this looks so good." Carlos said, eyeing his pizza.

"Taste it." James said.

He watched, smiling, as Carlos picked up his big slice of pizza and take a bite off the end. His eyes closed in 'ecstasy' as he chewed the bite.

"Well?" James asked.

"Oh, my God, this is _so _good!" Carlos said around his mouthful of pizza.

James giggled. It meant so much to him to finally see Carlos back to his old self after what seemed like so long.

"I'm glad you like it." he said, picking up his own slice and taking a bite.

He was impressed; for something that came from the cafeteria at the hospital, this pizza was very good. The cheese was in a thick layer and it was so gooey and delicious, just the way they liked it. This brought back fond memories from Minnesota when they were little kids. They would have such fun making a mess with their stringy cheese(much to the irritation of Mrs. Knight). But, boys will be boys, right?

"Thank you so much for doing this for me." Carlos said, "It means so much."

James smiled.

"Well, you deserve it; you've been cooped up for nearly four days." he said.

Up in the hospital room, Kendall and Logan both stood by the window, watching them. A smile was spread across their faces. I mean, who couldn't look at them and not smile? They were so adorable together.

"I'm glad he's feeling so much better." Kendall said.

"Yeah." Logan said, "They make such a cute couple."

"They sure do. I'm glad they admitted their feelings to each other. I've never seen them happier." Kendall said.

"I hope nothing ever tears them apart." Logan said.

"You can't look at them and not see that the only thing that would ever tear them apart would be death." Kendall said, "And even then, they would still be reunited sooner or later."

"They'll be together forever." Logan said.

"You know they will." Kendall agreed.

**A/N: **Well, there it is! And I AM SOOOOOOOOO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE! **Just a little heads-up: I think we're getting close to the end of the story. *sniffles* :'( **While I'll be happy to complete it, it'll still be so sad to see the story end. I've LOVED working on it! :D This is my first ever BTR story and it has REALLY got me going into the world of BTR fan-fiction. :D **PLEASE R&R! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


	17. Caramel and Cream

**Okay, everyone, this is the FINAL CHAPTER of the story! I'm both happy to complete it and sad to see it end. But, I am proud to announce that it is very possible that there will be a sequel! :D **

**Chapter 17: Caramel and Cream**

After James and Carlos finished their pizza, they sipped at their smoothies and just sat there and talked. Not about anything in particular; just talked. They were down there for a good hour before the mood suddenly changed. James noticed Carlos wincing and scrunching up his face in discomfort.

"What's wrong?" James asked in concern.

"Nothing. It's just my stomach. It hurts a little." Carlos said, "I guess my pizza didn't quite agree with me. It was so good, though."

"You wanna go back to your room?" James asked.

"No, I'm fine. We can sit here for a while." Carlos reassured him.

They sat there for several more minutes before the discomfort in Carlos' abdomen intensified slightly and he felt like he needed to lay down. James wheeled him back to his room where Kendall and Logan were just 'chillaxing'.

"You two have a nice date?" Kendall asked.

"It was perfect." Carlos said, smiling.

"I'd almost forgot how good a strawberry smoothie could be." James said, wheeling Carlos over to his bed.

"You wanna stand or do you want me to pick you up?" he asked.

"Pick me up. Please?" Carlos gave him his signature puppy-dog eyes on the last word.

James smiled and slid one arm underneath Carlos' knees, and the other around his back. Carlos wrapped his arms around James' neck as he gently lifted him up and set him down on the bed.

"Thanks." Carlos said as James re-covered him with his warm blankets.

* * *

It was late that night and Kendall and Logan were both asleep on the couch. The only light in the room was a dim lamp on the bedside table. The curtains on the two long windows were open and exposed the clear, night sky. James and Carlos both lay on Carlos' bed, snuggled underneath the cozy covers. They lay facing each other, leaning against the slanted back of the bed. With one hand, James held Carlos' hand in his; with the other, he lovingly stroked his hair. Smiles adorned their faces as they gazed into each others eyes.

"It's been a while since we've snuggled." Carlos said, keeping his voice down so as not to wake Kendall and Logan.

"Too long." James said, "It's so nice."

"Sure is." Carlos said, "I love you."

There was a long silence.

"Carlos...you know that letter you wrote for me?" James asked.

"You read it?" Carlos asked, sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, I read it. And..." James reached into his back pocket, "...I wrote one for you."

He handed Carlos a folded piece of paper. Carlos took it, smiling and seeming a little surprised.

"Oh, James..." he said, unfolding the paper.

He began to read.

_Carlos, _

_What a Kiss Means:_

_Kiss on the stomach..."I'm ready."  
Kiss on the Forehead..."I hope we're together forever."  
Kiss on the Ear..."You're my everything."  
Kiss on the Hand..."I adore you."  
Kiss on the Neck..."We belong together."  
Kiss on the Shoulder..."I want you."  
Kiss on the Lips..."I love you." _

_What a Gesture Means:_

_Holding hands..."We definitely love each other."  
Holding on tight..."I don't want to let go."  
Looking into each others eyes..."I just plain love you."  
Playing with hair..."Tell me you love me."  
Arms around the waist..."I love you too much to let go."  
Laughing while kissing..."I'm completely comfortable wth you."  
Picking someone up off their feet..."That they love them fully and would do anything for them."_

_We've done each of those many times in our relationship. I went through my most happy, intimate memories of you and me and I recalled how I was feeling at each of those moments. Carlos, I love you so much. You mean everything to me and I cannot bear the thought of ever losing you. I know you're the only one I'll ever love or want. I read the letter you wrote for me and I ust want you to know that I return every single word with all my heart and soul. Some nights, I could stay awake just to hear you breathing or smile while you're sleeping. I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment I spend with you is a moment I treasure. My heart beats only for you. My soul yearns only for you. It's the greatest treasure in the world to me to hold you in my arms; to protect you from the world out there that can be so cruel at times. I'll always accept you for who you are, no matter what. There is nothing in the entire world that would ever make me stop loving you. It hurts my heart to see you in pain. Whenever I see you hurting, I just want to hold you and make all your hurts go away. I promise I will love you and respect you all the days of my life. _

_Forever Yours, James. _

Carlos felt tears welling up in his eyes as he finished reading the letter.

"Thank you." he said, leaning forward and placing a kiss to James' lips, "I love you."

"Forever?" James asked, stroking Carlos' cheek.

"And ever." Carlos smiled.

* * *

The next day was kind of hectic. The room was full of visitors. Jo, Camille, Gustavo, Kelly, Mrs. Knight, Katie. Even Mercedes came over for a brief visit. But the big surprise visitor was the African-American police officer that had been in charge of Carlos' rescue operation. He stopped by on his way to work to see how Carlos was doing and to wish him and James the best of happiness. Carlos thanked him adamantly for agreeing to save him that night almost five days ago. All this meant so much to Carlos. He had the ultimate support system. Everyone stayed for a couple hours before leaving to let Carlos rest. As everyone left, Kendall and Logan walked down to the cafeteria and got four ice cream cones, one for each of them and took them back to the room. Carlos' face instantly brightened when he saw the ice cream.

"Here you go; you're favorite flavor." Kendall said, handing Carlos one of the cones.

"Cookies-n-Cream?" Carlos asked.

"Yep." Kendall replied.

"Yay! Thank you." Carlos took a big bite of the sweet, delicious ice cream.

"You do much more of that and you'll get a brain-freeze." James said, licking at his chocolate ice cream cone.

"I don't care. It's so good." Carlos said, taking another bite.

Kendall, Logan, and James all laughed.

"Carlos, lean over; you have something on your face." James said, a sneaky grin on his face.

Carlos leaned over unsuspectingly. James quickly swiped a smear of ice cream on the tip of Carlos' nose.

"Hey!" Carlos said, jumping back.

All of them burst into laughter as Carlos had an adorable scowl on his face, wiping off the ice cream.

"Oh, yeah?" Carlos said, getting a little of his own ice cream on his finger.

He flicked at James and it landed in his hair.

"Aaaa! Not the hair!" James shrieked, wiping quickly at the ice cream.

They burst into harder laughter. As the laughter died down, Kendall motioned for Logan to follow him out into the hallway. He did so and Kendall closed the door behind them.

"What are we doing?" Logan asked.

"Let's give them some time alone." Kendall said; James and Carlos had had very little time alone since the accident.

Both of them stood in front of the window looking into the room. They smiled as they watched James and Carlos smiling and laughing, so happy. As Kendall watched, his eyes drifted over to Logan's ice cream cone, which was vanilla drizzled with sweet caramel. His eyes travelled from the ice cream to James and Carlos, and back and forth several times. He let out an involuntary giggle.

"What's so funny?" Logan asked.

"James and Carlos." Kendall said, "They're like your ice cream cone."

"What are you talking about?" Logan asked, thinking Kendall had lost it.

"They're caramel and cream."

**A/N: **Well, there it is! The FINAL CHAPTER! The story is complete. As I've said before, I'm happy to finish it, but I'm also sad to see it end. I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed this story for all your amazing support and ideas and encouragement. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH! It's been so fun writing this and letting my creativeness flow into it. This was my first ever BTR story and it has GREATLY immersed me into the world of BTR fanfiction. Ever since I first watched Big Time Rush, I have just been so excited. Excited to see all the episodes that come on, to write new stories, to look up pictures, to talk with my BTR-obsessed friends, just everything! I ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY COMPLETELY LOVE BIG TIME RUSH!

P.S. Due to a review from Sting Of My Tears, I am seriously considering writing a sequel to this. But I have one teenie-tiny-itty-bitty problem...I have NO IDEA what to put in it! HELP! Anyone who has any ideas, please either tell me in your review or send me a message. I am open to anything and I would LOVE to hear any of your ideas! :D It's been fun. I love all of you! Again, THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND REVIEWS! **:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D**


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